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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29444943">Drowning</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/schplove02/pseuds/schplove02'>schplove02</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cobra Kai (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Angst, Attempted Sexual Assault, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:00:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>37,078</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29444943</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/schplove02/pseuds/schplove02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“What’s wrong?” Hawk asks, speaking for the first time since him and Demetri got interrupted downstairs. </p><p>   Moon’s hands shake as she goes to grab both of their hands, “It’s Sam.” She looks between both of them quickly before continuing, “I came up stairs to get my charger and walked in on…” she stops, choking on her words as she lets tears fall down her face. Both boys lean closer, trying to give her the comfort she needs. </p><p>Or, Sam is sexually assaulted at a party and it’s up to Demetri and Hawk to take care of her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Demetri/Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, Miguel Diaz/Samantha LaRusso</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>159</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story deals with rape, but it doesn’t go into major detail about it. Still, there’s a warning for a reason. If you don’t like it, don’t read it :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Her stares are hard, and they hold so much emotion in them. They make his chest tighten and a shiver go down his spine, but he tries to not make it noticeable. Her stare turns into a glare, making the boy look away instantly. </p><p>   Hawk knew what Sam LaRusso was capable of when he first walked into the Miyagi Do backyard, but he wasn’t prepared for this. No, he prepared for the cold shoulder or even a few nasty words… but not this.</p><p>   It’s the end of the first month as a combined Dojo and Hawk is starting to regret his decision. Everyone has taken to keeping their distance from him, especially the fiery brown haired girl who has taken a liking to watching his every move. Demetri had told him that it would pass, but his boyfriend has never been good with girls so he just ignored that. </p><p>   At the thought of his boyfriend, Hawk looks over at him. His hair is sticking to his forehead due to sweat and his cheeks are slightly red. The boy has to resist the urge to lean over and kiss him. After their initial make up at the LaRusso’s household, Demetri and Hawk have been inseparable. They had spent days trying to catch up, wanting to know everything that had happened while they were out of the other's life. During that time, Hawk had finally had enough courage to tell Demetri why he had switched over in the first place. Which — for the record — had been him… it has always been him. Hawk smiles at the thought before looking back over to the girl who is still glaring daggers at him. </p><p>“Quit looking over there, it’ll only make it worse.” Demetri’s whispered words make Hawk look over at him, giving his boyfriend a glare of his own.</p><p>“I wished she’d just listen to what I have to say.” His words are hissed, obviously frustrated at the only girl in the karate dojo. </p><p>   Demetri whispers back a sarcastic remark but Hawk isn’t listening. The sensei’s have walked out, telling them that they’re done for the day. </p><p>“Remember to work on those defense moves tonight! We won’t have lessons for the next few days due to me going out of town, but both Sensei Lawrence and I expect you to have that move mastered by the time I get back.” Daniel yells out to all of them, watching as they get their things gathered. They all yell out their goodbyes before making their way out of the dojo.</p><p>“Want to head to my place?” Demetri asks as they climb into Hawk’s car, which he got when he traded in his motorcycle a few days ago.</p><p>   Hawk nods his head before starting the car, and leaving Miyagi Do. </p><p>•••</p><p>   It’s that night when they get the call. Moon is having another party, and she has invited them all to it. Hawk had to drag Demetri away from his homework, telling him multiple times that it will be there when they get back. </p><p>   While he had complained all the way there, Demetri still found himself excited for the party. Finally, they can go to a party and not have to worry about someone fighting. Hopefully. </p><p>   The party is in full swing when Hawk and Demetri finally walk in, looking around at all the people. They walk through the entrance and find their way to the living room, which is crowded with people. </p><p>“I didn’t think there was going to be so many people…” Demetri says to Hawk, having to yell due to the music playing in the background. </p><p>   Hawk doesn’t say anything back, but he does find himself agreeing with his boyfriend. Moon never mentioned how big of a party, but Hawk didn’t think it would be this big. He looks around slowly and finds that he doesn’t recognize more than half the people there. </p><p>   Instead of going head first into the crowd, Hawk takes Demetri’s hand and pulls him away to a quieter side of the house. He watches as his boyfriend relaxes when they sit down on a couch, making Hawk smile at him. </p><p>“Here.” Hawk hands Demetri a cup that he had picked up on his way through the house, one just like it in his other hand. </p><p>   Demetri gives the cup a hesitant look before drinking some of the contents inside. Hawk watches as Demetri slowly swallows, a weird expression on his face. </p><p>“Like it?” Hawk asks before taking a sip of his own drink. He finds out quickly that it’s just beer, but he swallows it with no problem. </p><p>“Oh yeah, it’s the best thing I’ve ever had.” Demetri says as he takes another small sip of the beer. Hawk snorts, shaking his head at his sarcastic boyfriend. </p><p>   They people watch for a second but soon the song changes. Hawk looks over at Demetri with a smile, “Shit, it’s my song!” He grabs his boyfriend by the arm, pulling him up on his feet. Hawk quickly pushes people out of the way, making room for him and Demetri. </p><p>“What are you-” Demetri’s words are cut off by Hawk wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him closer. The black haired male lets out a choked gasp, but lets Hawk glide him across the floor. The once badass cobra nuzzles his head into Demetri’s neck, taking in the feeling of being held by his partner. </p><p>    The song is fast paced but Hawk keeps them at a slow pace, leading them into a relaxing dance. Demetri is about to lay his chin on Hawks shoulder, but the blue eyed boy looks up. </p><p>   For a moment, they just stare at each other, lost in thought as they take in the others face. Hawk smirks at the sight of Demetri’s blush.</p><p>“You’re beautiful.” Demetri whispers to him, making the smirk on Hawks face disappear instantly. He feels his cheeks warm up as he smiles shyly at Demetri. </p><p>   The boy doesn’t say anything back, only leans up on his toes to give his boyfriend a small kiss. Their lips meet and Hawk finds himself melting into Demetri’s embrace. Before the kiss can get too heated, they hear a throat being cleared near them. The two lovers break apart, looking around confused. </p><p>   A guy they have never seen before is standing next to them, a small blush on his cheeks. Hawk raises a brow at him, as if to ask him what he wants. The guys snaps out of it, instantly asking them if they're Hawk and Demetri. At Demetri’s nod, the guy lets a serious look go over his face. </p><p>“Moon sent me, she said to meet her upstairs.” His voice is deep and serious. </p><p>“Why?” Hawk asks, now pulling himself from his boyfriends hold to look at the guy head on. </p><p>“She has your friend up there. She’s pretty shaken up.” The guy doesn’t have to say anything else, because by the time he’s done Demetri is pulling Hawk up the stairs.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Hurt Princess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This story deals with rape, but it doesn’t go into detail. Still, there’s a warning for a reason. If you don’t like it, don’t read it :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The upstairs of Moon’s house is just as big as her downstairs, so the boys decide on just yelling out for their friend. They hear her quiet response and head in that direction. </p><p>   The yell takes them to the end of the hallway. They look between the two doors that are left, trying to figure out which one she could be in. Luckily, Moon decides to come out at that time. Both boys freeze at the terrified expression on her face. </p><p>“What’s wrong?” Hawk asks, speaking for the first time since him and Demetri got interrupted downstairs. </p><p>   Moon’s hands shake as she goes to grab both of their hands, “It’s Sam.” She looks between both of them quickly before continuing, “I came up stairs to get my charger and walked in on…” she stops, choking on her words as she lets tears fall down her face. Both boys lean closer, trying to give her the comfort she needs. </p><p>   After a moment, Moon is able to continue, “I walked in on some college guy taking advantage of Sam.” Hawk feels his body freeze, his mind not able to comprehend her words. He feels his boyfriend squeeze his hand tightly, which he does in return. Hawk is brought back from his thoughts when he feels Demetri jerk, trying to get into the bedroom, but Hawk stops him. </p><p>“Let me… go!” Demetri’s face is contorted with anger, his body shaking as he tries to pry himself from his boyfriends strong hold. </p><p>“Stop! You’ll just scare her!” Moon says as she places her hands on Demetri’s chest, her words making the boy stop instantly. </p><p>“She’s… out of it. I’m guessing he must have drugged her, that’s why she wasn’t able to fight her way out of the situation.” Moon explains, still trying to keep Demetri from walking into the room. </p><p>“Now, I had Chase go get you both because I wanted her friends to know first. I sent someone else to go get Chris and Bert, but they said they can’t find them. She kept asking for Miguel, but I know he’s not here.” She looks at them expectantly for a second before speaking again, “I thought she would feel safer with you guys anyways.” </p><p>   Hawk looks up at Demetri, and they have a silent discussion through their gazes. They know they should take Sam somewhere safe, and they know she can’t stay at the party… especially since they don’t know where the guy who attacked her went. They nod at each other before turning back to Moon.</p><p>“Let us see her, please.” Demetri says quietly. The girl nods her head before moving out of the way, letting them get through. She doesn’t follow them, only closes the door. </p><p>   Hawk watches as his boyfriend hurriedly moves across the room, wanting to get to his friend quickly. The blue eyed boy hesitates, not sure on what to do. He knows Sam doesn’t trust him… so why should he risk her freaking out when she sees him? He doesn’t want to scare the girl, even though he used to hate her. </p><p>“Eli!” Hawk jumps at the sound of his name coming from Demetri. He decides that both his boyfriend and teammate need him, and walks all the way through the room. </p><p>   He isn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t this. Sam lays in a fetal position on the bed, her arms wrapped around her exposed parts. It seems Moon had tried to cover her as much as possible, but wasn’t able to get it all. Hawk lets the anger flow through him at the sight of her vulnerable state, angry at whoever did this. He makes a mental note to look into how to find this… monster. </p><p>“I can’t get her to sit up.” Demetri says to Hawk, a worried look on his face. He moves back after a few more tries, “Will you try? Maybe she’ll listen to you.” Hawk gives his boyfriend a weary look before slowly walking towards Sam’s body. </p><p>   He gets down on his knees, gently placing his hands on Sam’s arms. Her body gives a little jolt, obviously not liking being touched. Hawk pulls away, and instead decides to talk to his karate teammate. </p><p>“Sam… I need you to unwrap yourself so I can look over the injuries better. I want to help.” His voice is soft, reminding him of his younger self. The one who always wore baggy sweaters and couldn’t take care of himself. He hated that version of himself, but he’d do anything to get the poor girl in front of him to open up. </p><p>“Come on, Princess.” He says finally, giving her a small nudge on the arm. She seems to jolt even more at the sound of that nickname he gave her a while ago. </p><p>   Hawk and Demetri watch as she peaks up from behind her arms, now meeting their eyes. Her eyes are unfocused, a sign of the drugs in her system. She slowly unwraps herself, which the boys take that time to wrap a blanket around her. The clothes she had worn to the party now only ripped and scattered around, leaving her in her destroyed shirt and underwear. </p><p>“Eli…?” She whispers, her voice raw and hoarse. </p><p>   Hawk looks up at her in surprise. There’s a beat of silence before he lays a hand on her smaller hand, “Yeah, right here. Demetri is here, too.” He helps her sit up all the way before letting Demetri hold her up. </p><p>“Lets get her to my place before it gets too late.” Hawk mutters to Demetri, letting the taller boy pick the girl up. He watches as Sam hesitantly wraps her arms around his boyfriend's shoulders. </p><p>   Hawk turns, leading the way out of the room and down the stairs. They leave through the back door so no one sees them, and instantly pile into Hawks' car. He makes sure his boyfriend has Sam safely pulled against him before pulling out of Moon’s driveway.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Sleepover</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Be mindful of the warning, and enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The car ride was tense; it had been filled with Demetri and Hawks discussion over whether they should go to the hospital or not. Hawk had pointed out that if they go to the hospital, it would bring unwanted attention to the girl. </p><p>“We don’t know how she wants to go about this, Dem! The girl is high off her mind right now, the last thing she can do is tell us whether she wants the whole fucking town knowing about this or not!” Hawk tried to keep his voice low, not wanting to wake Sam up and scare her, but his boyfriend really wasn’t listening and it was starting to frustrate him. </p><p>“I know, but maybe they can help!” Hawk shakes his head at Demetri’s words. </p><p>“I will gladly take her to the hospital in a few hours… when she’s sober and not unconscious!” </p><p>   Their talk had ended there, leaving the car silent. It didn’t take long, though, for them to pull into Hawk’s driveway.</p><p>“Mom is still away on business, so we don’t have to worry about being quiet.” His words are rushed as he gets out of the car to help Demetri with Sam. </p><p>  He opens both the car door and the front door for him, making sure to help him with Sam’s head. </p><p>•••<br/>   The house is dark when they walk in, causing Hawk to reach over and turn the lights on. He leads the way through the house, making sure to turn on lights on his way through. </p><p>“Place her on the bed, I’ll see if I can find something for her to wear.” Hawk says softly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping girl. </p><p>   Sadly, It’s too late. The sound of his voice in the painfully quiet house causes Sam to wake up. She groggily moves to her side, groaning as she does so. As she lets out another groan, Hawk quickly moves across the room to get the trash can from its usual corner. He places it near Sam before walking away to get the clothes he knows she needs. </p><p>   As he rummages through his closet, Hawk tries to wrap his head around what just happened. How could anyone want to hurt such a sweet girl? Even before his switching of sides, Hawk had always thought of Sam LaRusso as a nice girl… just stubborn sometimes. </p><p>   The boy shakes his head, trying to stop the uncomfortable ache in his stomach. Sam LaRusso has been raped… and she’s currently drugged, and under the care of him and his boyfriend. God, he should have taken the trash can with him…</p><p>   His thoughts are cut off by Sam groaning again, which makes him grab the first baggy sweater he saw and a pair of his basketball shorts before rushing back to the bed. When he gets there he sees Demetri on his knees, softly speaking to the girl who is barely conscious. </p><p>   The boy places the clothes on the end of his bed before crouching down next to the bed where Demetri is. He lets his boyfriend do the talking, not sure if he would be able to talk to the girl at the moment. </p><p>“W-Where…?” Her voice is a bit louder than it was earlier, a sign she is slowly coming off the drugs. </p><p>“Shh… you’re okay, you’re safe. Go back to sleep…” Demetri whispers to her, which seems to calm the girl down. She stops her pitiful groans and slowly turns on her side and goes back to sleep. </p><p>   Hawk sighs in relief, happy the girl is getting sleep. He looks over at Demetri before standing, ready to go get blankets and pillows for them both to sleep with.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Let’s Talk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The house is dark again, the lights having been turned off a few hours ago. Hawk sighs softly, pulling Demetri’s body closer to his. He should be asleep right now; actually, he should have been asleep an hour ago. But the little whimpers that come from the bed above him makes him jolt awake every time. </p><p>   The boy rubs his eyes with his free hand and slowly sits up. He is careful to not wake up Demetri — who had fallen asleep only a few minutes ago. After a quick glance at his boyfriend, Hawk reaches up to get his phone from his place on the floor. </p><p>“20 missed calls? What the-” he cuts himself off when he sees who they’re from. </p><p>   Chris and Bert had called him multiple times each, along with a few text messages. Hawk sighs before hesitantly going to the texts.</p><p>‘Where are you? What the hell happened?’ Chris had sent many more after that, but Hawk skips over them. </p><p>   With a quick glance at the clock, Hawk realizes that it’s almost 5 in the morning. The boy decides not to text back… not until later, when Sam can make the decision on who to tell. </p><p>   Just when he’s about to place his phone back on the table, Sam jerks up in his bed. She is panting and Hawk can hear little sobs coming from her mouth from his spot on the floor. </p><p>   Hesitantly, the boy moves closer to the bed, making sure to not scare her. Sadly, his efforts were for nothing because Sam jumps and scoots back against his wall. </p><p>“Hey, hey… it’s okay.” He tries to sound as comforting as possible as he places his hands up.</p><p>   At the sound of his voice, Sam’s head pops up from its spot behind her arms. She looks at him with a confused expression, “Hawk?” </p><p>   Hawk frowns, taking note of how she says his name. It’s like she forgot he was here. </p><p>“Yeah… you’re okay. Demetri and I took you to my house… remember?” Sam shakes her head, still shaking and crying slightly.</p><p>   Hawk can’t help but let a soft smile grace his features. Sam’s eyes are no longer glazed over, and she seems to be aware of her surroundings.</p><p>“You’ve sobered up.” He says, taking a hesitant seat on the bed. </p><p>   Sam looks at him again, her eyes guarded. Hawk swallows hard, “What… Do you remember.” </p><p>   The girl frowns, thinking hard about what had happened last. Hawk watches as her face turns white and her hands start to shake.</p><p>“I remember dancing, and talking to people. Drinking with some guys… and-” she stops talking, obviously replaying what had happened.</p><p>“You don’t have to tell me exactly what happened.” Hawk says quietly, giving her an understanding look.</p><p>   Sam nods, thankful for that.</p><p>“I’ll go get you some water…” Hawk goes to stand, wanting to leave the awkward conversation, but stops when Sam starts to speak again.</p><p>“Wait… why are you doing this?” Her eyes are vulnerable again, and Hawk finds himself looking away, not able to handle the sadness in them. </p><p>“Because you don’t deserve what happened to you.” That’s all he says before tiptoeing out of the room to get the girl some water.</p><p>•••</p><p>   She is in the exact same position that he left her in when he gets back, water bottle in hand. He hands it to her with shaky hands, his mind still going over their conversation.</p><p>   Sam remembers. At least, remembers enough to make her terrified and shake. Poor girl…</p><p>   As Sam greedily drinks the water, Hawk goes over to Demetri and reluctantly wakes him up. </p><p>“W-What…?” Hawk smiles at his boyfriend’s sleepy words.</p><p>“She’s awake, Dem.” Demetri pops up from the floor, wide awake now. He sees Sam, giving her a kind smile before standing. </p><p>“Hey, Sam.” Demetri slowly places himself on the bed, Hawk following after him. </p><p>   The girl stares at the two boys, her free hand gripping the black sheets under her. She gives them both a nod, eyes wide as she does so.</p><p>   Hawk clears his throat, getting the two friends' attention. His expression is serious when he speaks, “I know you don’t want to talk about it… but we need to talk about a few things.” </p><p>   Before Sam can even think about what that means, Demetri is interrupting his boyfriend, “how about she gets changed first?” At the mention of her clothes, Sam looks down and gasps. She realizes she’s half naked, instantly making her curl into herself. </p><p>“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Demetri slowly hands the girl the clothes Hawk had picked out a few hours ago, “You get changed and comfortable, then we’ll talk.” He pulls Hawk up, taking them both out of the room so Sam can change in private. </p><p>   It doesn’t take long for there to be a soft knock on the door, signaling to the boys that Sam is ready for them to come back in. </p><p>   When they walk in, Sam is standing as she waits for them. The boys have to hold back a laugh at her appearance. The sweater that had once been baggy on Hawk now goes all the way to Sam’s knees, making it look like a dress on her. </p><p>   She notices their presence and holds out the basketball shorts to Hawk, “They wouldn’t stay up…” her voice is quiet, a major difference to her usual happy and confident one. </p><p>   Hawk gives her a smile before taking the shorts, going to his closet and picking out an older pair. These have dragons on them, and are noticeably a lot smaller. </p><p>   Sam says a quiet thank you before pulling the new pair of shorts on, these fitting her a lot better than the others. </p><p>“Now, about our talk…” Demetri starts, leading everyone to the bed. Sam sits down first and gets comfortable. </p><p>“What is it?” She asks hesitantly.</p><p>   Hawk sighs before sitting down, “Do you want to go to the police?” He asks after a second of silence. </p><p>   His question causes Sam to tense up, “No, no… please, no!” Tears come to her eyes as her hands shake.</p><p>   Hawk nods, “Okay… okay, no police. How about… anyone else?” </p><p>   Sam shakes her head, “no one… please.” The boys look at each other, worried for the girl in front of them. </p><p>“Sam… you’re parents-” Sam cuts Demetri off, giving him a glare that reminds Hawk so much of the old Sam. The one who wasn’t as broken as the one in front of him now.</p><p>“No one can know! If anyone finds out…” she stops mid-sentence, taking a deep breath. She shakes her head, “Just… don’t tell anyone, okay?”</p><p>   The boys nod their agreement, and give the brunette a sad smile. Hawk sighs before standing again, “Well, we still need to get you home. Your parents are away right?” Sam nods, but looks down sadly, “You’re just going to… leave me?” Her voice cracks, making Hawks stomach clench painfully. </p><p>“Of course not!” Demetri rushes to comfort the girl, not liking the way her eyes filled up with tears at the idea of being alone. </p><p>“We just think it’ll be better for you to be home… where you’re comfortable.” He adds, his voice an octave higher. </p><p>    The thing is, they did plan on leaving her. The two lovers had talked once they set up their makeshift bed on the floor, their voices almost too quiet. They had discussed how they were going to either take Sam to the police, or to her house, leaving her with someone trustworthy. After all, they don’t know how to take care of someone so fragile. </p><p>“Okay… that’s good. I kinda want to change into my own clothes.” Sam holds up her arm, showing how long the sweater is on it. The boys crack a smile at her, thankful she’s talking a bit more. </p><p>“Well, we better get a move on then.” Demetri stands, instantly holding a hand out for Sam to take. The girl eyes it quickly before grabbing it, letting her friend pull her up off the bed. </p><p>   It doesn’t take long for the girl to walk past them, already heading for the door. The two boys give each other a worried look, obviously thinking the same thing.</p><p>   How the hell are they supposed to take care of Samantha LaRusso on their own?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Snakes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Take note of warning, and enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hawk sighs softly as he pulls Sam’s white blanket over her sleeping form, making sure to cover her bare arms. Her room is lit by a single lamp, which doesn’t light up much of her big room, but it’s enough to where Demetri and himself will be able to see her clearly when they come in to check on her. </p><p>   Sam had fallen asleep on the way over to the LaRusso household, causing Demetri to carry her in. Hawk had been shocked — when he first walked through the door — to see the house that was destroyed not too long ago, in perfect condition. He marveled at the sight for a few seconds before hurrying to catch up with his boyfriend, who was just starting the walk up the stairs to Sam’s room. </p><p>   The girl in Demetri’s arms didn’t even flinch when he put her down, placing her in the middle of her spacious bed. They had both said a quiet goodnight to the girl, Hawk tucked her in, and they left Sam’s room. </p><p>   The guest bedroom across the hall is where they decided to set up camp, not want to be too far away from Sam. From this room, they are able to see into Sam’s room and are able to hear just about anything. Comforted by that, the two lovers sit down on the bed and relax. </p><p>“Have you heard from Moon?” Demetri asks, his attention focused out the window as he watches the sunrise.</p><p>   Hawk shrugs, pulling out his phone to check. He scrolls through the many texts and calls, instantly finding Moon’s. Just like everyone else, she wanted to know how Sam is doing. While Chris and Bert don’t know anything that happened last night, Moon does… and Hawk shivers at the thought of what she must have seen. </p><p>‘Hey, how is she?’ </p><p>‘Is Sam okay?’</p><p>‘Hawk!’</p><p>   Her last message was sent only a few minutes ago, causing Hawk to sigh. He types a quick response.</p><p>‘She’s as okay as she can be right now. She’s sobered up, and resting in her own bed.’ </p><p>   He sends the message, getting a response almost instantly.</p><p>‘I’ll be over to see her later.’ </p><p>   Hawk sighs, not sure what to say to that. He hands his phone to Demetri, letting him read the messages.</p><p>“Sam said she doesn’t want anyone to know other than us… how do we explain to her that Moon knows?” Hawk asks, running a hand through his now unstyled hair. </p><p>   Demetri looks up at him after he is done reading, giving Hawk a sad look, “I guess we just tell her the truth.” </p><p>   Hawk nods at that, not saying anything back. He takes his phone back to scroll through all the other messages. He notices an unfamiliar number, instantly clicking on it. </p><p>‘Hope your Princess had fun tonight. Cobra Kai for life, bitch.’ </p><p>   The message sends a jolt of nausea through Hawk, and if he wasn’t so shocked he knows he would have puked right then. He lets out a shaky breath, throwing his phone down. </p><p>   The sound of Demetri’s voice is muffled to his ears, Hawk too overwhelmed to listen. He pants, not able to catch his breath as he pulls at his hair. </p><p>   Cobra Kai did this… how could that be? Moon had said it was some college guy, and Hawk knew Moon would have instantly recognized one of the Cobra’s. </p><p>   His next thought causes him to choke, and his hands start to shake. No… no, they wouldn’t do that. The group of Cobras are ruthless, but they wouldn’t do this. </p><p>“They did it, didn’t they?” Demetri’s voice brings Hawk out of his panicked state of mind, causing him to look over at his boyfriend. </p><p>   Demetri is holding Hawk’s phone in his hand, obviously having read the same message he had. His face is pale, and Hawk can see the anger in his brown eyes. </p><p>“The Snakes sent someone after Sam?” Hawk flinches at the sound of his boyfriend's voice, having voiced his dreaded thought from just a moment ago. </p><p>   Hawk nods, his body still shaking as he takes in all the information. He should be feeling anger, and the need to go out and fight… but all his mind can focus on is the guilt. </p><p>    Not too long ago he had been a part of Cobra Kai, he had been friends with some of them. Now, all he can think about is if he hadn't changed sides. Would he have been sucked into this evil plan as well? </p><p>   The blue eyed boy finds himself looking back up at Demetri, his body now shaking in anger. He clenched his jaw before snatching the phone from his boyfriend's hand. </p><p>“What are you doing?” Demetri asks, scooting closer to get a look at what his boyfriend is doing. </p><p>    When Hawk speaks again, his voice is deep with anger, “We need back up… I’m calling Miguel.”</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Truth Comes Out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The clock on the wall reads 8:26 AM, making Hawk feel even more anxious. He watches the seconds tick by, his eyes not leaving the old clock. </p><p>“Stop pacing, baby.” Demetri mutters in his ear, holding him against his chest and keeping the shorter of the two from rounding the couch again. </p><p>   Hawk sighs again, biting at his nails as he keeps his eyes on the hands of the clock. He swallows hard, “He should be here by now.” </p><p>   They didn’t explain anything to Miguel when they called him, only saying that something had happened to Sam and to be at her house quickly. That had been almost two hours ago, and the brown skinned boy still hasn’t made his appearance.</p><p>“He lives pretty far away, Eli.” Hawk scoffs at that, giving his boyfriend an annoyed look. </p><p>   Demetri drops the subject, but keeps a firm hold on his boyfriend. The taller boy runs a soothing hand down Hawk’s back, drawing little patterns as he does so. </p><p>   Hawk relaxes into Demetri’s hold, finally letting himself calm down. The paranoia that something will happen is overwhelming though, making him want to run up the stairs to Sam’s room and check on her again. But before he can do that, there’s a knock on the door. </p><p>   Both boys jump and rush towards the door, opening it as quickly as possible. When Hawk sees Miguel standing on the other side of the door, a worried look on his face, he glares at him and pulls him into the house. At the sound of the door closing, Hawk turns toward Miguel with an icy look in his eyes. </p><p>“Where the hell have you been? I told you to come quickly!” Hawk’s voice is louder than he wants it to be, especially with Sam asleep upstairs. </p><p>   Miguel rolls his eyes at his friend, “Traffic.” He looks around, obviously looking for something. </p><p>“Where’s Sam?” Miguel’s worried expression is back. </p><p>   Hawk sighs and looks at Demetri, silently asking how they’re supposed to go about this. They both know that if they tell Miguel everything, they would be betraying Sam. But if they don’t tell their friend, the whole dojo is at risk. </p><p>   Demetri clears his throat and signals for Miguel to follow them to the couch. The trio sits down, giving each other hesitant looks as they get comfortable. </p><p>“I think… it would be best if we start at the beginning, don’t you?” Demetri asks, his eyes directed at Hawk. The still angry boy nods his head, his eyes not leaving Miguel’s worried face. </p><p>“Okay, well it started last night…” Demetri starts, his voice breaking as he is reminded of last night. </p><p>•••</p><p>   Hawk watches from the window as Miguel abuses the tree in the LaRusso’s backyard. He can see from his spot in the living room, the way the blood from Miguel’s knuckles are running down his arm. Hawk sees Demetri next to his good friend, his mouth moving as he no doubt tries to talk Miguel down. </p><p>   Another sigh escapes his lips, his stomach clenching as he watches Miguel punch harder and harder. The boy knows his friend won’t stop until he gets too tired to continue, or until his hand breaks. He knows this, and he understands… the news they gave him was a lot, and he knows Miguel is hurting for Sam. </p><p>“Eli?” The sound of his name brings him out of his thoughts, and away from the painful sight outside. </p><p>   With a turn of his head, Hawk spots Sam on the stairs. She’s still wearing his sweater, but she’s now in a pair of sweatpants. Her hands are rubbing at her eyes, a sign that she just woke up. </p><p>“Hey, Princess. How are you feeling?” He asks, slowly making his way across the living room and towards the stairs. </p><p>   The girl looks around, probably trying to find Demetri. When she doesn’t, she looks back at him with a sad look. </p><p>“He’s still here.” Hawk says, seeing the worried look in her eyes at the thought of Demetri not being there anymore. </p><p>   Sam’s body relaxes and she comes all the way down the stairs. She looks around carefully, “I thought you both left when I couldn’t find you upstairs.” She explains.</p><p>   Hawk nods, but doesn’t say anything back. He feels his throat start to close up, making it hard to breath. Seeing her is making him think about last night, about how she hadn’t been able to even walk. </p><p>“Are you hungry?” Hawk’s voice sounds strained, causing him to clear it. </p><p>   Before Sam can say anything back, a furious Miguel bangs open the back door. He stomps his way into the house, not even noticing Sam and Hawk. Blood is dripping onto the floor, and the boy is breathing hard. </p><p>   Hawk hears a tiny whimper come from Sam, making him turn towards her. He sees the fear in her eyes, can see the way her body tensed up at the sight of the blood and Miguel’s anger. The boy gently pulls the once cold and stubborn girl to him, rubbing soothing circles on her shoulders. </p><p>   Hawk goes to say something to Miguel, to tell him to go back outside to calm down, but Demetri comes storming into the house. His boyfriend gives Miguel a glare, but doesn’t say anything. Demetri’s brown eyes find Hawk’s blue ones, and it doesn’t take long for his eyes to fall to the tiny girl behind Hawk, her body trembling as she looks at Miguel’s angry form. </p><p>“Miguel, I need you to go to the kitchen.” Demetri’s voice is soft, trying to sound as calm as possible. </p><p>   Miguel’s eyes shoot to Demetri, and soon goes to where Demetri’s eyes are trained. He gasps at the sight of Sam, his body instinctively moving closer to her. </p><p>“Sam…” his voice breaks, tears come to his eyes. </p><p>   The girl whimpers again, pushing her face into Hawk’s chest. Her hands are clenching Hawk’s shirt, and her body is shaking. </p><p>   Hawk gives Miguel a warning look, “Go to the kitchen, man.” His voice is low, and it’s demanding. </p><p>   Miguel looks at Sam, his heart breaking at the sight of her being scared of him. He lets a tear fall down his cheek before slowly walking to the kitchen, not wanting to find out what the two boys would do to him if he stayed. </p><p>   At the sound of Miguel’s footsteps fading, Sam looks up from Hawk’s chest. Her bottom lip trembles as she looks at both the boys that are still in the room. </p><p>“You told him…” it’s not a question, more like a statement. </p><p>   Both Hawk and Demetri look down, ashamed at themselves. The girl lets a sob escape her lips, looking up at Hawk with tears in her eyes. </p><p>“I trusted you.” Her voice cracks, making Hawk swallow hard. He feels his chest tighten and tries to say something to Sam, but the girl shakes her head and rushes up the stairs. </p><p>   The sound of a door slamming shut makes Hawk and Demetri look at each other. They knew this would happen, knew she would be upset. But the boys can’t find themselves to be too upset about it, because at least with Miguel knowing, they have more people able to help with the snakes. </p><p>“Damn it.” Hawk mutters, his eyes going back to the stairs. </p><p>   An arm wraps around Hawk’s torso, pulling him to the other body. Demetri places his chin on top of Hawk’s head, “Come on, we have things to plan.” The taller boy whispers, pulling Hawk away from the stairs and toward the kitchen.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Traitor’s Guilt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hawk’s fingers twist around each other as he stares down at the table in the LaRusso’s kitchen, his mind replaying over and over just how heartbroken Sam had sounded.</p><p>   I trusted you… I trusted you</p><p>   His hands twitch, wanting to form into a fist. The need to hit something, anything, is overwhelming him. Hawk feels his breaths come out in pants, and his body tenses up like he’s in a fight. </p><p>“Eli… baby, come back to me.” Demetri’s voice is yet again muffled to Hawk’s ears, but it’s enough for the boy to come back from his thoughts.</p><p>   He can feel hands on his body, trying to calm him down. </p><p>   A hand has a firm hold on his left arm. It’s grip is tight and familiar, and Hawk is reminded of how he’s felt that same grip many times before. </p><p>   That must be Miguel.</p><p>   There’s another hand gripping the back of his neck. This hold is softer than Miguel’s, it focuses more on drawing soft shapes on his neck. </p><p>   There’s Demetri. </p><p>“It’s okay… just breath.” Demetri’s words bring Hawk back to reality, his hands still shaking slightly. </p><p>   They’re in the kitchen, and they’re supposed to be talking about what they’re going to do about Cobra Kai.</p><p>“Sorry… sorry.” Hawk mutters, catching his breath. The boy looks around for a split second before looking back at his boyfriend and best friend. </p><p>“It’s okay, man.” Miguel says, his voice a lot calmer than it was earlier. </p><p>   They settle back into their seats, their eyes looking at each other hesitantly. Hawk shifts in his seat and decides to speak up.</p><p>“Listen, Dem and I can’t take down Cobra Kai together. Honesty, I don’t think having you added on will be enough either.” Hawk knows this is the truth. They can’t take Cobra Kai down with just three people… they need the whole Dojo. </p><p>“We’re not telling everyone, Hawk.” Miguel’s voice is quiet, and he doesn’t meet Hawk’s eyes. </p><p>“Why not? I mean, we’ve already gone against Sam’s wishes!” Hawk yells out, standing to his feet. His heart is beating fast again and his hands are in tight fists at his sides. </p><p>   Demetri’s calm voice comes to Hawk’s ears, calming him down again, “I think it’s time we take a break…” he stands and walks over to Hawk, “Lets go check on Sam, okay?” </p><p>   Miguel looks up, his eyes hopeful. Demetri gives his friend a sad shake of his head, “I don’t want to scare her again.” His words make Miguel visibly deflate, his eyes casting downwards again. </p><p>   Hawk looks at Demetri with a weary look, but still nods his head. He knows Sam doesn’t want to see them, but he really wants to see how she’s doing. </p><p>                                      •••</p><p>   Sam’s room is destroyed when they make it up there. Her dresser is on the floor, all of its contents in a pile nearby. The sheets on her bed have been striped off, and they are also in a pile. Lastly, all her pictures and paintings on the wall are on the floor. </p><p>   How did they not hear all this?</p><p>   Hawk’s eyes widen at the sight of Sam’s once perfect room. He lets his eyes scan over the disaster for only a second before searching the room for Sam. When he doesn’t spot her, panic takes over his body. </p><p>“Sam?!” His voice breaks, a sign that he’s panicking.</p><p>   There’s no response, and Hawk forces himself to step further into the room. He spots her closed bathroom door, instantly running for it. He tries the knob, but it doesn’t budge.</p><p>“Samantha LaRusso, you open this door right now!” Demetri’s voice booms around the quiet room, making Hawk jump. </p><p>   There’s a shuffle from inside the bathroom, and it makes Hawk jiggle the knob even more. He lets out a frustrated growl when it still doesn’t budge.</p><p>“If you don’t open this door, I’m kicking it down!” Hawk’s surprised at how loud his voice is, but doesn’t dwell on it long.</p><p>   The other side of the knob jiggles, and Hawk is filled with relief when it finally opens. </p><p>   Sam’s face is red and swollen, and the boys can tell right away that she has been crying. Hawk’s sweater looks to be slightly ruffled, like the girl has been moving around a lot. </p><p>   Her mouth opens to say something, but Hawk doesn’t give her the chance. He’s soon gently grabbing her arms, careful to not scare her, and checking for any abuse. His eyes roam quickly, almost panicked. </p><p>   Sam pulls away quickly, giving Hawk a glare, “I’m fine!” Her voice is hoarse from crying. </p><p>   Hawk relaxes, but gives the girl a sad look. He remembers the days when he would lock himself in his own bathroom… it never ended with him being fine. </p><p>“Surprised you haven’t left yet.” The venom in Sam’s voice makes Hawk flinch.</p><p>   Hawk hears his boyfriend sigh before speaking, “We told Miguel for a reason, Sam.” </p><p>   Sam glares at Demetri, “Yeah? And what’s that?”</p><p>“Cobra Kai are the reason for last night.” Hawk’s voice sounds quieter than usual as he stares at the ground, his guilt showing on his face.</p><p>   If he would have lifted his head he would have seen the shock on Sam’s face, and the exact moment she realizes that the used-to-be-snake is telling the truth. </p><p>“W-What?” Her voice breaks, making Hawk look up. He clenched his jaw at the paleness of her face, and the new tears in her eyes. </p><p>“Come downstairs… we’ll explain everything.” Demetri’s calm voice is what makes Sam reach out for them, forgetting all about the anger she was just feeling. </p><p>   Hawk watches as Demetri takes Sam’s hand and leads her out of the destroyed room. Hawk sighs as he follows after them, his guilt making it hard to breath. </p><p>   It’s going to be a long day.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. A Walking Time Bomb</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the late chapter, I had a lot to do today. Anyways, hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The kitchen is quiet when they walk in, and if Hawk didn’t know better it would be like no one is in there. But there is, and Hawk’s fists tighten at his sides at the thought of them. </p><p>   Miguel is in the same spot that they left him in, his head down as he stares at the table. Even in his depressed state, Miguel’s eyes dart up when he senses their presence. </p><p>   His brown eyes find Sam instantly, and Hawk sees the relief go over his friends face at the sight of her. The boy stands from his seat, his mouth opening like he’s going to say something, but he never does. </p><p>   Miguel looks at Demetri quickly, silently asking if it’s okay to speak to the girl. Hawk watches as Demetri nods, his arm still around the pale girl. </p><p>“Sam…” Miguel says, coming out from behind the table. He doesn’t get too close, something Hawk and Demetri are both happy with. </p><p>   Sam’s head looks up at Miguel, and finally she realizes he’s there. Her lips form a shaky smile, “Hey…” her voice is weak, and the three boys can see how exhausted she is. </p><p>“Come on, let’s all sit down.” Demetri says quietly, guiding Sam to the table. </p><p>   Everyone sits down, awkwardly waiting for someone to say something. Miguel’s mouth opens again, and lets out everything he’s been holding back. </p><p>“I’m so sorry… Sam, I’m so sorry!” Miguel’s eyes fill up with tears, and looks Sam in the eyes from the other side of the table. </p><p>“I should have been there. I should have gone to the party instead of doing homework-” Miguel’s words are cut off when a quiet sob slips it’s way past his lips. His hands are shaky as they go to his face, hiding his tears from the other teens. </p><p>“I-I… I’m so sorry.” Miguel’s chest is rising and falling quickly, a sign to Hawk that the boy is crying. </p><p>   Sam’s small hand reaches across the table, instantly going to Miguel’s forearm. Hawk watches as Miguel puts his arms down, still shaking with sobs, and looks up at Sam with guilt in his eyes. </p><p>“It’s okay.” Sam’s kind voice visibly makes Miguel relax. He gives her a kind smile, but doesn’t say anything back.</p><p>“Now, about… last night.” Sam struggles to get the words out, and Hawk watches from the corner of his eye how Demetri comforts her.</p><p>“Look at this.” Hawk says, uncomfortable with all the tears. He hands Sam his phone, the message from the unknown number on the screen.</p><p>   Sam makes a strangled noise when she reads the message, looking up at Hawk quickly.</p><p>“W-Who… sent this?” Her voice is hoarse again, this time due to the tears streaming down her face.</p><p>   Hawk’s fists tighten under the table, but when he speaks, his voice is calm.</p><p>“We don’t know yet. We were thinking about asking to meet up, or just showing up at the dojo.” Hawk grabs the phone back, eyeing the number before shutting his phone off.</p><p>   Sam raises her eyebrow, “I’m not here to help plan an attack one time, and you guys come up with that? I shouldn’t be surprised.” </p><p>   The boys eyes widen, shocked at Sam’s amused tone. They look at each other, silently asking if they all heard her right.</p><p>“Well then, Princess… what do you have in mind?” Hawk raises his own eyebrow at the girl, challenging her.</p><p>   Sam huffs before pulling her own phone out of her pocket. She doesn’t look at the hundreds of messages, just goes straight to her contacts. When she finds what she's looking for, she smiles and clicks the contact. </p><p>   When she starts to type, the boys tense up, “Who are you texting?” Hawk asks, his voice showing his curiosity.</p><p>   Sam rolls her eyes — looking like the girl she used to be before last night — and speaks, “The group chat.” </p><p>   Hawk’s eyes widen, “What? why?” </p><p>“To tell them to meet us at the mall.” Sam says, her voice going quiet again, like she’s not sure about the plan.</p><p>“Why are we going to the mall? Shouldn’t you be resting?” Demetri says, his brown eyes not leaving Sam.</p><p>“Probably, but I want answers. I have no idea what exactly happened last night, and I want to know,” Sam says, sending the text to the group chat.</p><p>   Hawk hears three phones go off, no doubt the text. He sighs, “How is the mall going to give you answers?” </p><p>   Sam looks back over at him, “The snakes go to the mall on Saturday’s after practice… you should know that.” She stares at him, like she’s trying to find his true intentions. Like she doesn’t trust him anymore. </p><p>   Hawk ignores the pain in his chest at that thought, focusing on Sam again. He frowns his brow, silently telling her to continue.</p><p>   Sam doesn’t have time to say anything, because it’s Miguel who speaks.</p><p>“We’re going to lure them in.” </p><p>   The girl nods at the brown boy, her eyes not meeting his.</p><p>“With me as bait.” Sam states, her voice yet again small and vulnerable.</p><p>   Hawk feels his face heat up, and his fists tighten again. This time he can’t control it, this time he has to get this rage out. </p><p>   With a slam, Hawk stands from his chair and walks out the back door. He ignores the sound of his name being called, begging him to stop and calm down, and goes straight for the tree that Miguel was abusing earlier.</p><p>   The boy blacks out, his anger taking over. He can feel the bark of the tree digging into his knuckles, but he can’t find a reason to care. He has to do this — he has to — or he’ll explode.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope this isn’t moving too fast, but I thought wanting to confront the people who did this to her is such a Sam thing to do. Hope you enjoyed, and don’t forget to leave a kudos and comment :)</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Flashback</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>⚠️TW⚠️</p><p>Mentions blood, and has a small flashback to the attack!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sixty-two </p><p>   Sixty-three</p><p>   Hawk lands another punch onto the tree, his teeth clenching at the pain. He can hear Demetri’s voice in the background, telling him to stop, but his anger makes him land another punch. </p><p>   The tree bark is breaking from where both Hawk and Miguel have abused it, and if you look closely you can see the red stains from all the blood.</p><p>   When he lands another punch, Hawk feels the skin to his knuckles break even more, making the boy hiss in pain. A tiny voice in the back of his mind tells him that he’ll end up with even more scars on his knuckles if he keeps going, but he ignores it. </p><p>“Stop… baby, stop!” Demetri yells, trying to grab Hawk’s arm. </p><p>   The shorter of the two moves his arm away, ignoring his boyfriend’s voice. Normally, the sound of Demetri’s voice would be enough to calm Hawk down, but not this time. </p><p>   Hawk goes to land another punch, but his arm is caught again. His mind clears, and turns quickly to the person who is holding his arm back. The boy is surprised to see Sam next to him, her expression unreadable. </p><p>“Eli, please stop.” The use of his old name coming from her lips makes his cold exterior falter, causing his eyes to soften. </p><p>   Hawk pulls away from the tree, fully turning towards the three teens who have been watching him. He gives them an apologetic look, which they all smile at. </p><p>“Sorry… I just-” he cuts himself off, looking down at his hand. He sighs when he sees the blood, making a mental note to clean it later.</p><p>“There has to be another way. We can’t just… use you as bait, Sam!” Hawk says, his eyes not leaving Sam’s. </p><p>   The girl sighs, “there’s not-“ Hawk scoffs, cutting the girl off.</p><p>“You were just assaulted, Sam! As far as we know, the guy who did it is in Cobra Kai… and you want to talk to them?” Hawk runs a hand through his loose hair, his frustration getting to him. </p><p>   Demetri steps forward and wraps an arm around Hawk, whispering comforting words in his ear. Hawk relaxes, laying a head on Demetri’s shoulder.</p><p>“We’re doing this. Everyone has already agreed to meet up at 3.” Sam says, her voice making Hawk look back up. </p><p>   Sam’s eyes are watery, and Hawk can tell the girl is still feeling a little nervous about the meeting. </p><p>“Trust me?” Sam says softly, trying to catch Hawk’s blue eyes. The boy nods, laying his head back on Demetri’s shoulder.</p><p>“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” Demetri whispers, leading Hawk back inside the house.</p><p>•••</p><p>   Demetri softly holds Hawk’s hand in his own, wrapping it with bandages. Hawk hisses when the bandage goes over a particularly sore spot, making Demetri apologize softly. </p><p>   From the corner of his eyes, Hawk can see Miguel and Sam sitting at the kitchen table. They are watching Demetri and Hawk, their eyes worried as they do so. </p><p>   The sound of his phone going off makes Hawk look over to the table. He frowns, asking Miguel to bring it to him. </p><p>   Moon’s picture makes Hawk sigh, having forgotten she said something about coming to see Sam. He glances over at the brunette girl before answering the phone, putting it up against his ear with his uninjured hand.</p><p>“Hello?”</p><p>“I’m on my way over. How is she?” Moon’s voice comes through the phone, and Hawk frowns. Her voice doesn’t sound as bubbly as it once did, and Hawk is yet again wondering what the girl saw last night.</p><p>   Hawk glances over at Sam before answering, “She’s doing okay…” he trails off, watching as Sam’s expression turns confused.</p><p>“Actually, we have a few things to talk to you about when you get here.” Hawk adds, his eyes turning away from Sam’s stare. </p><p>“Okay, well I’ll be there in a few minutes.” </p><p>   Hawk says a quick goodbye after that, wanting to talk to the others before Moon makes her appearance.</p><p>   The boy places his phone on the counter and looks back at Demetri. Thankfully, his boyfriend had kept wrapping his hand throughout the whole phone call and is now done. Hawk smiles up at him, and places a quick kiss to his boyfriend's lips as a thank you. </p><p>“Are you going to tell us what that was all about?” Miguel says suddenly, interrupting Hawk and Demetri’s moment. </p><p>   Hawk turns toward the table, and gives his friend a glare. He sighs before explaining, “It was Moon.”</p><p>   Sam’s eyes widen, “You told-” she’s cut off by Hawk’s voice.</p><p>“No, she’s the one who found you.” Hawk quickly explains, his words rushed.</p><p>   Sam’s anger disappears, replaced by an emotionless expression. She stares at Hawk, her eyes unfocused as she tries to think about that night again.</p><p>   She can’t remember much, only little pieces. She remembers the drinking and the jokes, but not much after that. The abuse is blurry in her mind, and she can barely remember it.</p><p>   It’s then that a memory sparks in her mind, making the girl whimper.</p><p>   His hands were strong and cold, gripping her arms as she struggled against him. He pushes her down into the bed harder, trying to get her to stop moving-</p><p>“Shit, I’m sorry… I’m sorry.” Hawk rushes over to Sam’s side of the table when he sees her body go tense, her face go white, and tears stream down her face. The girl comes back from her thoughts quickly. </p><p>   Sam jumps when Hawk places a hand on her shoulder, almost falling out of her chair. She hears his muttered apologies, telling her how sorry he is for bringing up Moon. The girl only shakes her head, and rubs at her arms.</p><p>“It’s fine… I just remembered something, that’s all.” Sam’s voice is quiet and vulnerable again.</p><p>“What was it, sweetie?” Miguel’s voice makes Sam jump again, but when she looks up and sees him she relaxes. Demetri is standing next to the brown boy, both of them looking at her with soft expressions.</p><p>   I’m safe, I’m okay… I’m safe… I’m safe.</p><p>   She has to repeat her mantra over and over before she’s calm enough to speak. But even as her tears stop falling, Sam’s hands still shake as she goes to speak. </p><p>“I don’t know how I forgot…” she starts, trailing off as she rubs at her arms even more. </p><p>“His hands, I remember his hands.” Sam’s voice cracks as she lets out a sob. </p><p>   The three boys look at each other, their expressions a mixture of anger and sadness. Hawk looks back over at Sam, placing a hand on her shaking ones. She jumps, but relaxes when she realizes it’s him.</p><p>“I’m so sorry, Sam…” Hawk’s voice is soft, yet again reminding himself of Eli.</p><p>   Sam gives him a soft smile, showing him it’s okay. Demetri’s voice interrupts them, “You’re remembering things, though… that’s great.” His words make Sam smile again, happy that they’re finally starting to figure things out.</p><p>   It’s then that there’s a knock on the door, making the four teens jump. Hawk sighs when he looks out the kitchen window and sees Moon’s car in the driveway. The boy looks back at Sam with a serious look in his eyes.</p><p>“I can make her leave, if you want.” His offer makes Sam shake her head.</p><p>“No, we need answers.” Is Sam’s only response, standing to go get the door.</p><p>   Hawk motions for Sam to sit back down, noticing her exhausted state. The boy gives Sam a stern look before going to answer the door, his nerves making his hands shake slightly. </p><p>   Moon has a small smile on her face when he opens the door, a big difference compared to her big grin she usually wears. Hawk greets her, letting her in the house quickly. </p><p>   Sam, Demetri, and Miguel are all standing in the entrance way. Moon smiles at them, “Hey, guys.” Her eyes find Sam’s frame instantly, her face changing to serious expression. </p><p>“Hey, Sam.” Moon’s voice is strangled, the sound making Hawk tense up. </p><p>   Sam ignores Moon's greeting, “Let’s go to the living room.” The girl turns quickly, leading the way to the living room. </p><p>   Hawk watches Moon’s face turn pale as she follows after Sam. The boys stare at each other for a few seconds, all knowing that they’re about to get a lot more information. </p><p>   Demetri sighs, holding his hand out for Hawk to take. The boy smiles, taking his boyfriend’s hand before following after the two girls, Miguel not far behind them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for no chapter yesterday, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. I Got You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Read all tags and warning before reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hawk watches the two girls in the room, both of their eyes avoiding each other. Sam is sitting on one couch, Hawk and Demetri on either side of her. Moon is across from them, an awkward Miguel next to her. </p><p>“What do you want to know?” Moon finally speaks, her eyes still casted down.</p><p>   The four other teens in the room jump at the sudden noise, looking up at the girl who is speaking. </p><p>   Demetri shifts in his seat, “We just want to know what happened last night. Your side of the story.”</p><p>   Hawk watches as Moon’s fingers dig into her jeans, something he has seen her do many times in school. She’s nervous, and is trying to find a way to distract herself.</p><p>“I-I didn’t… know what was going on when I first walked in.” She starts, her nails digging deeper into her legs.</p><p>“It just looked like a couple had snuck off to get some alone time. But, uh…” Moon takes a deep breath, and Hawk can see she’s shaking.</p><p>“I saw the way she — Sam, even though I didn’t know it at the time — was struggling, and then I heard what sounded like a plea to stop. I froze, didn’t know what to do…” Miguel places a hand on Moon’s arm, comforting her as she lets out a quiet sob. </p><p>“I finally was able to come back to reality when I heard the girl start crying. I started to yell at him, telling him to stop, and I guess that scared him. He ran out before a group of guys could catch him.” </p><p>   Hawk looks over at Sam, who has both his and Demetri’s hands in her own. She is looking at Moon with wide, tear filled eyes. </p><p>“Did you see his face?” Sam asks, stumbling over the words as she sobs quietly. </p><p>   Moon looks up at Sam, her face red from crying. She swallows hard, “I-I saw little glimpses. He had brown hair, I know that. He didn’t look familiar, so I just guessed he was a college guy.” </p><p>   Sam nods her head, taking in all the information. She jumps when a hand is placed on her arm, making her look up. </p><p>   Moon is crouched in front of her, her eyes still filled with tears, “I’m so sorry… I should have been keeping an eye on you. I shouldn’t have thrown that party…” </p><p>   Sam shakes her head, “There was nothing you could have done. I’m thankful you were there to help.”</p><p>   Moon gives her a sad smile, but it soon turns serious. She gives all three boys a weird look before leaning in to talk to Sam again.</p><p>“Have you… have you gone to the hospital?”</p><p>   Sam shakes her head again, her body tensing up at the thought of the hospital.</p><p>   Moon gives Sam a disappointed look, “I understand you not wanting people to know… but you need to get tested.” </p><p>“Tested?”</p><p>   Moon sighs, “That… monster could have had anything, Sammy. Plus, you need to get checked out for any internal injuries he may have caused.” </p><p>   Sam’s face turns white again, “No!” She yells, shocking everyone. </p><p>“Just… no!” Sam stands from the couch, almost hitting Moon as she does so. The girl doesn’t spare them one look before running up the stairs, back to her room.</p><p>   Moon looks up at all three boys, giving them an apologetic look. She stands and looks up at the stairs with a sad look, “Should I go up there?” </p><p>   Hawk nods his head, “we’ll come, too.” </p><p>   The group make their way to Sam’s room, all of them hesitant. Demetri knocks on the door, opening it not long after. </p><p>   Sam is sitting in the middle of her bed, all of the sheets still off. She is letting out loud sobs as she wipes away tears.</p><p>“Sam…?” Miguel says, getting the girls attention. She glares at him before looking back down.</p><p>   Hawk sighs, following the little group. They all sit on the bed, but give Sam her own space. It’s Hawk who is closer to the girl, and that makes him in charge of talking.</p><p>“Hey Princess, talk to us.” He says softly, making the girl look up at him. </p><p>“I’m scared…” she whispers quietly, almost to the point where no one could hear her.</p><p>“I’m scared of what the doctors will say, what everyone will say. I’m scared my parents will find out. I’m scared-” she cuts herself off, letting out a sob.</p><p>“I’m scared he’s going to hurt me again.”</p><p>   Hawk lets out a noise that sounds like a strangled growl, “He won’t touch you again, I promise.” </p><p>   Sam looks up at him at his words, her eyes filled with tears. She gives him an unsure look, “We don’t even know who he is!”</p><p>“Well, we’re going to find out today.” Miguel says suddenly. His words make Sam shrink into herself, not liking the thought of seeing the man who did this to her.</p><p>“I thought I was ready… but I’m so scared, guys.” Sam says, her voice muffled from having her head between her knees.</p><p>“You won’t be alone… we’ll be right there.” Demetri says, placing a hand on Sam’s shoulder. </p><p>“I’m sorry… but what’s going on?” Moon asks, giving them all a confused look.</p><p>“Oh… we’re going to the mall later to catch Sam’s attacker.” Miguel explains, making Moon’s eyes widen. </p><p>   The girl gives them a shocked look, but doesn’t say anything. </p><p>“We won’t let him hurt you again.” Hawk says, giving Sam a small smile. He still doesn’t like the mall idea, but he knows Sam wants to do this. </p><p>   The small girl sniffles, “I need to shower before we go…” she trails off, her body tensing up again. </p><p>   Sam had been putting off the dreaded shower. She knew she would see things that she doesn’t want to. Every time she has changed, she has closed her eyes until it’s done. But this… this will be different.</p><p>“I can help… if you want.” Moon offers, a kind smile on her face. </p><p>   Hawk watches as Sam nods, hesitantly letting Moon lead her to the bathroom. </p><p>“I’m worried about her.” Miguel says once the bathroom door closes with a click. </p><p>   Hawk and Demetri nod, thinking the same thing. They have no idea how Sam has bounced back the way she has. They expected her to lose it, to lock herself away for days and not let any of them touch her… but she hasn’t so far. She has been strong, and the boys can’t help but feel an immense amount of respect for Samantha LaRusso.</p><p>“Come on, let’s clean this place up a bit.” Demetri says, pulling the boys from their thoughts. </p><p>   Hawk looks around the room, deciding on putting the bed sheets back on. He pulls the pink sheet from the floor, and places it perfectly on the bed.</p><p>   The white comforter is next, instantly pulled from the ground and placed on the pink sheet. Hawk straightens it out, leaving no creases. </p><p>   The pillows and multi-colored blanket is next, all placed on the bed how Hawk remembers them to be. He smiles when he’s done, happy with his progress.</p><p>   The turns, wanting to see what Miguel and Demetri have been doing. The two boys are setting all Sam’s pictures and painting up, straightening them when they need it. </p><p>“Those are amazing… I wonder if she did them herself.” Hawk says aloud, looking at the paintings on the wall. </p><p>   Miguel chuckles, “She did. Sam loves to paint.” </p><p>   Hawk smiles at that, wondering what other hobbies the Princess has.</p><p>   By the time they get done setting up the whole room again, it’s noon. Sam had officially been in the shower for about an hour, and if Moon wasn’t with her, the boys would have been worried way before now.</p><p>   Thankfully, the two girls come out of the bathroom not long after the boys start to worry. They’re sitting on the bed again, making sure not to mess up Hawk’s work, when they come out. </p><p>   Sam is now in a black sweatshirt, and judging by the size, it must be her dad’s. She is still wearing the sweatpants from earlier, but is now wearing a pair of pink socks. </p><p>   The girl looks around her room and smiles at the boys, “Thank you.” She says softly, taking in how nice her room looks now. </p><p>   Sam walks over to the bed and holds out a small pile of clothes to Hawk, “Here. Thank you for letting me borrow them.” </p><p>   Hawk looks at the clothes in her hands, seeing the sweater and shorts he gave her. He smiles up at her, “Keep ‘em.” </p><p>   Sam smiles and nods, placing them on the bed to put up later. She lays down on the bed, her head hitting the soft pillow at the top. The teens watch as their friend drifts off to sleep, her body finally relaxing. </p><p>   When Sam’s fully asleep, the boys look up at Moon. She motions them into the hall, her face serious.</p><p>“There are a lot of bruises.” She says once they get into the hall, the door to Sam’s room cracked so they can check on her. </p><p>“Any bad injuries?” Miguel asks, his voice echoing his worry.</p><p>   Moon sighs and looks down, obviously not sure how to word what she’s going to say.</p><p>“The only thing I could see is the marks on her arms. But… I’m not sure if they’re from him, or from her.” Her words make the boys freeze, fully taking in this information.</p><p>“I’m not saying she has harmed herself!” Moon rushes out, “I’m just saying she might have been scratching at her arms or something.” </p><p>   Hawk relaxes, nodding at Moon, “Thank you… for everything.” </p><p>   His ex smiles, “Of course.”</p><p>“Now, I have to go. I’ll be over later, after the mall stuff, okay?” She adds, making sure she has everything she brought in.</p><p>   Hawk nods again, giving the girl a soft smile, “Will do.”</p><p>   Moon gives each boy a stern look, “Take care of her.” </p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“We will.”</p><p>“We will, promise.”</p><p>   Happy with their responses, Moon turns and starts her way down the stairs, saying a quiet goodbye. They listen for the door to shut, and when it does, they go back into Sam’s room.</p><p>   They settle themselves on the floor, getting comfortable. They still have two hours or so until they have to be at the mall, so they decide to let Sam rest. </p><p>   Hawk lays his head on Demetri’s shoulder, his back against the side of Sam’s bed. He shuts his eyes, the sound of Demetri and Miguel’s hushed voices lulling him to sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you have any suggestions or thoughts on my story, please leave them in the comments! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Team Work</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please look at the notes at the end.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sound of things being moved around in Sam’s room makes Hawk jerk awake. He looks around quickly, his eyes finding Sam’s small frame instantly. With a quick look over, Hawk spots Demetri and Miguel’s sleeping forms.</p><p>“Oh, sorry… I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Sam says softly, her eyes looking at him quickly before going back to what she’s doing.</p><p>   Sam is standing in front of her closet, pulling things out and comparing them to others. She seems to be trying to find something to wear, which strikes Hawk as a bit weird.</p><p>   The boy stands from his spot on the floor, careful to not wake his boyfriend up. His back pops, making Hawk sigh in relief.</p><p>“Why are you going through your clothes?” Hawk asks, his steps groggy as he makes his way over to Sam.</p><p>   Sam turns and looks at him again, “I can’t exactly wear sweats to the mall… even though I want to.” </p><p>   Hawk hums before leaning forward and picking a few random pieces of clothing, “Here. These should do.”</p><p>   He hands her a pair of jeans, and a simple shirt to go with it. Sam visibly relaxes at his suggestion, happy she doesn’t have to go back to dresses she used to wear just yet. </p><p>“Thanks.” She grabs the clothes, a small smile on her lips.</p><p>   Hawk nods before pulling out his phone, checking the time. He curses when he sees it's 2:30.</p><p>“Shit… we have to go!” Hawk shows Sam the time quickly, making the girl run off to the bathroom to change.</p><p>   Hawk turns back to Demetri and Miguel, rushing over and shaking them awake. The two boys jerk awake, their eyes wide.</p><p>“What is it? Is something wrong with Sam?” Miguel rushes out, his eyes darting around to find the girl in question.</p><p>“No, no, it’s 2:30! We have to go!” His words seem to click instantly, both boys standing from the floor and gathering the things they brought with them. </p><p>   It doesn’t take long for Sam to come running out of the bathroom, pulling her hair into a simple ponytail. She pulls on her shoes and rushes down the stairs, the boys following her.</p><p>   They all pile into Hawk’s car, having decided he should drive the group. He starts the car and speeds out of The LaRusso’s driveway.</p><p>•••</p><p>   The mall is crowded, making the group nervous. They are looking around anxiously, trying to find either The Cobra’s or their own group.</p><p>“There they are!” Sam says, causing everyone to look where she’s pointing.</p><p>   Just a few stores away, Hawk catches sight of their group. He relaxes, thankful it’s not the snakes. </p><p>“Are you guys going to explain what’s going on?” Chris asks when they finally get closer to the group. </p><p>   Hawk sees Sam’s body tense up, but thankfully Demetri saves the day, “We’ll explain later, but right now we need to find somewhere to hide.” </p><p>   Demetri goes on, bossing the group around. He and Miguel have taken over, and Hawk is left with a silent Sam at his side.</p><p>“You don’t have to do this. We can leave right now, and go home.” Hawk says quietly, not wanting to get the group's attention.</p><p>   Sam looks up at him, “No… I need to do this. I don’t know if I’ll be able to ever get this far again if we leave.” Her eyes show her fear, making Hawk slightly uncomfortable. He remembers when he used to live off people's fear of him… but now, the thought of anyone scared around him makes him uncomfortable. </p><p>“We’ll be right there, I promise. He won’t hurt you, no one will.” He places an arm around Sam’s shoulders, pulling her to his side. The girl relaxes slightly in his hold, shocking Hawk.</p><p>“Just… don’t let him touch me again, please.” Her voice breaks, the sound making Hawk want to pick her up and carry her out of this mall. </p><p>“I won’t, Sam.” </p><p>   The boy pulls Sam closer, his heart beating faster as he thinks about what’s to come. What if something happens to Sam, and he’s not able to get there in time? What if… this whole plan goes south? </p><p>   Hawk sighs, taken aback at his thoughts. Was it not just yesterday that he used to not like the girl who is clinging to his side? Was it not just a month ago that he broke into her family home — with Cobra Kai — and destroyed it? Sure, he had switched sides not long into the fight… but he was still there. He had helped with the plan.</p><p>   He guesses that the trauma of last night had changed everything. Once you help someone in such a vulnerable state, you never see them the same again. </p><p>   And it’s true, because he doesn’t. </p><p>   Hawk used to think of Samantha LaRusso as a stuck up, stubborn, rich girl who had everything she ever wanted. He had thought of her as a strong fighter, sure, but he still thought of her as a pain in the ass.</p><p>   But now? Now he thinks of her as a strong girl… someone who could overcome anything. He thinks of her as his friend.</p><p>“Ready?” Demetri’s voice brings Hawk out of his thoughts, making the boy look over at his boyfriend.</p><p>   Hawk watches as his boyfriend gives Sam a smile, telling her how strong she is. The boy let’s go of Sam, making the girl look up at him.</p><p>“You’ll be right behind me, right?” Sam’s voice is small, reminding Hawk of a child.</p><p>   The once badass bully nods, giving her a kind smile that he reserved for only her and Demetri. He reaches over and gives her shoulder an encouraging squeeze before turning and following Demetri. </p><p>   They make their way behind a group of pillars, the area a bit darker than the rest of the mall. They have a perfect view of where Sam’s now sitting, pretending to be on her phone. </p><p>   Hawk’s heart is beating hard in his chest, making him feel like he might have a heart attack at any moment. Demetri grabs his hand, squeezing it tight. Hawk takes a deep breath, his eyes scanning the area for the snakes.</p><p>•••</p><p>   Sam’s knee bounces up and down as she tries to hide her anxiety. She stares down at her phone, barely paying attention to it. Her ears are listening for anything that might be Cobra Kai, making her body feel tense.</p><p>   She knows that if she looks up, she’ll see her group behind the pillars. That thought calms her, but she still has a painful ache in her chest.</p><p>   With a quick look at the time, Sam notices it’s 3:30. They should be here by now. Hawk had said they would be in this area at this time.</p><p>“Well, look at what we have here…” the sound of a familiar voice makes Sam jump, her eyes moving to behind her to find the owner of the voice. </p><p>   There stands Kylar, a large group of Cobra’s behind him. Sam swallows hard, now having to face the fear that she’s been feeling since she woke up earlier.</p><p>“What, no bodyguards today? Hm, that doesn’t sound like them!” His cold voice has a hint of fake amusement in it, and the sound makes her skin crawl. </p><p>   Was it him? Did Kylar do this to her? </p><p>   The thought alone makes her legs buckles, and Sam silently hopes that the group didn’t notice.</p><p>“Aw, don’t be nervous sweetheart. We won’t hurt you.” Kylar steps a few inches forward, Sam taking a few steps back. She hears the group behind Kylar laugh, the sound sending chills down her spine.</p><p>“You did it, didn’t you?” Her voice shocks her. It sounds stronger than she feels.</p><p>   Kylar raises a brow at her, “No, I didn’t.”</p><p>   Sam has to swallow the bile that rises in her throat. He knows what she’s talking about… he knows about last night.</p><p>“Who did it, then?” </p><p>   Kylar chuckles, “Now why would I tell you a thing like that?” </p><p>   Sam’s mind goes blank. How is she supposed to get information out of Cobra Kai’s best fighter. Except… he’s not, is he?</p><p>“Where’s Tory?” Her voice cracks slightly at the thought of the girl Cobra.</p><p>   Kylar frowns, confused at the change of subject, “Working…” </p><p>   Knowing Tory isn’t there, strikes a fire in Sam. She can do this, she can handle them. </p><p>“Just thought she would want to be here for this.” She says, her voice making the group in front of her eye her suspiciously.</p><p>“What-” Kylar starts, but Sam interrupts him.</p><p>“It would be a shame if the police found out about last night…” she starts, her eyes meeting Kylar’s.</p><p>“I mean, all I have to do is tell them what happened. I would of course add in how awful you all have been, and just who the main guy is.” Sam gives Kylar a smirk, “and without Hawk around, that would make you the main guy… right?” Her question doesn’t need an answer, because Kylar’s face soon is void of all amusement and coldness.</p><p>“You wouldn’t…” he starts, his eyes wide.</p><p>   Sam smirks again, “We all know I would. I even have a little birdy on my side to help.” </p><p>   At the obvious mention of Hawk, Kylar’s face drops even more. There’s a glimpse of fear in the teens eyes, something that causes Sam to stand up taller. </p><p>“Or would you like me to just call Hawk…?” She tests the waters, seeing just what will strike a nerve.</p><p>   Her words work, because soon Kylar is tense and telling her to put her phone down… she didn’t even realize she raised it to her ear. </p><p>“Okay, okay!” He rushes out, earning a few looks of disbelief from his teammates. </p><p>   Sam raises a brow at Kylar, silently telling him to continue. The boy takes a deep breath before dismissing his goons, who give him a confused look before doing what they’re told.</p><p>   The girl feels her stomach clench at the thought of being alone with her ex, and now second hand man to Cobra Kai. </p><p>“We weren’t told anything… not really, at least. Tory planned everything, we were just there to help.” The jock runs a nervous hand through his hair, the movement causing Sam to flinch. </p><p>   She knows her little flinch probably put her boys on edge. That thought makes her side eye the pillars to her right. </p><p>“Who. Did. It.” Sam says, her teeth clenched in anger.</p><p>   Kylar sighs, “I don’t know his full name, just that his first name is Ethan.” The boy hesitates for a second, wondering if he should continue. </p><p>“He’s a new member.” His words are quiet, and Sam almost doesn’t catch it. </p><p>“W-was he…?” She motions to Kylar’s group, who is off to the side waiting for him.</p><p>   The boy shakes his head, “No… he’s not an official teammate yet.” </p><p>   Sam relaxes slightly, “Okay.” </p><p>“That’s all I know… just don’t blame me for something I didn’t do!” His words make her have to force back an eye roll. </p><p>   She can’t help but think about how he had just said he helped. How he was a part of the plan. </p><p>   Sam only nods at him before turning and walking the other way, trying to look like she’s unbothered. She hears Kylar yelling for her to stop, wanting to know she won’t tell anyone, but she ignores him. </p><p>   Sam doesn’t stop until she makes it to Hawk’s car, her body sagging against it. She doesn’t cry though, something she’s proud of herself for. She only waits for the others, her head down as she thinks over the events that just happened. </p><p>“Sam!” Her head jerks up, knowing that voice instantly. </p><p>   Her team is rushing down the parking lot, and she can see the worry in their eyes even from afar. </p><p>“Are you okay, sweetie?” Demetri asks, him being the first one to get to her. </p><p>   Sam only reaches out for him, her hands shaking as she does so. Demetri takes her into his arms, holding her close. She clings to her friend tightly. </p><p>“Talk to us, Princess.” Hawk’s voice makes Sam peek out from her spot in Demetri’s arms. </p><p>“He told me who…” she trails off, only needing to say that. </p><p>   Sam looks around at the rest of the team, realizing that they all know what happened last night. She’s not sure if the boys told them beforehand, or if they overheard the conversation she just had with Kylar.</p><p>“How are you?” Hawk asks, placing a rough hand on her arm. </p><p>   Sam straightens up, trying to show that she’s unbothered even though she feels like she might crumble to her knees at any second. </p><p>“I’m fine…” </p><p>   Sam watches from the corner of her eyes as Hawk and Miguel talk to the group, telling them thanks for coming and helping. She hears them all say a goodbye to her, but she doesn’t have the energy to answer back. </p><p>   It’s not long before Sam is being ushered into the back of Hawk’s car, Miguel sliding in next to her. When they start to pull out of the mall, away from The Cobra’s, Sam lets a sob escape her lips. </p><p>   The feeling of a familiar muscular arm wrapping around her makes Sam break down. She leans into what must be Miguel’s side, letting out the tears she has been holding back. </p><p>   Miguel whispers comforting words into Sam’s ear, holding her tight. </p><p>“It’s okay… it’s okay…” he whispers, rocking Sam back and forth. </p><p>   The sound of Miguel’s comforting voice, and Hawk’s car, makes Sam relax. She’s safe now, she no longer has to worry about the snakes at the moment. </p><p>   She’s safe with her friends.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>My new tumblr blog is up! The user is — schplove02</p><p>If you want to know when I’m going to post, get updates, or just talk about this lovey show, please go follow me there :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. You Got This, Princess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Night time comes quickly, and so does the arrival of Sam’s mom. They had been lucky the other night, having got to The LaRusso household when Sam’s parents had been out of town, and her brother was at their grandmother’s house. The group had pulled into the driveway, and Sam had muttered to them that her mom would be home that night, having gotten back sooner than her dad.</p><p>   The three boys had expected Sam’s parents to come home of course, but they hadn’t really talked about it. Are they supposed to just leave Sam in the care of someone who doesn’t even know about her recent attack? </p><p>“She needs to know, Sam.” Demetri says, his voice sounding just as exhausted as he looks.</p><p>   They are sitting in Sam’s room again, the sound of Sam’s mom moving around in the house causing them to talk quieter than usual.</p><p>“Too many people already know.” She says, her eyes not meeting the boys. She plays with a loose string that’s on her hoodie, obviously trying to distract herself. </p><p>   Hawk places a hand on Sam’s smaller one, “She’s your mother.” Sam scoffs, giving Hawk an annoyed look.</p><p>“Exactly. I want to handle this my way, and my parents would never let that happen.” </p><p>   Hawk doesn’t say anything back, instantly understanding the girl. Sam wants to deal with her attacker her way, and she knows that if her parents find out they’ll just get the cops involved.</p><p>“Okay, it’s your decision.” He says finally. Hawk sees both Miguel and Demetri go to say something — not agreeing with his words — but one glare from him makes them look back down, whatever they were about to say dying on their tongues.</p><p>   There’s a knock on the door, making the group jump. They all turn to the door, and see a head peeking in.</p><p>“Hey boys, it’s time to go. It’s getting late.” The woman’s words make the boys put on a fake smile, nodding their head and telling her they’ll head out in a second.</p><p>   When the door shuts, a quiet sob escapes Sam’s lips. Her lip trembles as she looks at her friends, the thought of them leaving finally hitting her. </p><p>“Hey… hey, it’s okay. We’ll be back first thing in the morning.” Miguel says, pulling Sam to his chest. She seems to relax in his hold, something that the brown boy thought would never happen after earlier that day. </p><p>“You can’t get rid of us that easily, Princess.” Hawk says, earning a choked laugh from the girl. </p><p>   Sam pulls away from Miguel, only to reach out for Demetri. The tall boy pulls her closer, having to basically hold her due to his standing position and her kneeling one. </p><p>   Hawk smiles at the sight, and can’t help but think how adorable the two friends are. </p><p>   The girl pulls herself away from Demetri’s chest, and looks over at Hawk. She reaches her arms out hesitantly, not sure how he’ll do with full contact hugs.</p><p>   Hawk doesn’t hesitate. He pulls the small girl to his chest, his arms wrapping around her. He can’t help but think how grateful he is, for being one of the people the girl actually trusts to touch her now. It makes him emotional just thinking about it.</p><p>   With one final squeeze, Hawk goes to move away from Sam, but before he does he stops and whispers softly to her.</p><p>“You got this, Princess.”</p><p>   Finally moving away, Hawk gives the girl one more smile before turning for the door. He hears the other two follow, but not without a quiet goodbye to Sam.</p><p>   Mrs. LaRusso tells them goodbye on their way out, also thanking them for keeping Sam company while she and her husband were gone. When the woman thanks them, Hawk feels his hands twitch at his side. </p><p>   Because he shouldn’t be thanked for anything, not after what happened last night. Not after he unintentionally got Sam hurt.</p><p>   Guilt still weighing him down, Hawk walks to his car with Demetri at his side. He opens the door for his boyfriend, his body working on autopilot as he does so. </p><p>   The car ride to his house is quiet, both boys thinking about other things. But when they pull into Hawk’s driveway, Demetri turns his attention to his boyfriend.</p><p>“It’s not your fault, you know.” He says softly, trying to meet Hawk’s eyes. </p><p>   Hawk looks away, trying to find something to focus his attention on. Sadly, he doesn’t find anything, causing him to turn back to Demetri.</p><p>   His boyfriend's brown eyes are softer than usual. The kindness he’s used to seeing is still there, but Hawk can see something else. Something so familiar that it makes Hawk’s stomach clench with happiness.</p><p>   There’s love.</p><p>“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Hawk chokes out, wincing at how pathetic he sounds.</p><p>   Demetri gives him a playful glare, “You don’t?” </p><p>“Then let me enlighten you…” </p><p>   The boy grabs Hawk’s face, his thumbs rubbing gently at his cheeks. The smaller of the two visibly melts, his eyes fluttering.</p><p>“You didn’t hurt Sam. You didn’t plan that attack, it was Tory.” His words make Hawk swallow hard, tears coming to his eyes.</p><p>“Sam needs you, needs us, so you need to realize that you had nothing to do with the attack. You aren’t one of them anymore.” Demetri forces Hawk to look at him, pushing his face up with his big hands.</p><p>   Reluctantly, Hawk meets Demetri’s eyes, “I know, okay? I know I’m not one of them, but I still feel the guilt.” His voice cracks as a lone tear falls down his face.</p><p>“You shouldn’t.” Demetri whispers. </p><p>   Hawk goes to say something, but is cut off by soft lips. Demetri kisses Hawk gently, like he’s scared the boy will break. </p><p>   Hawk grabs at Demetri’s shirt, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. He feels Demetri pull away suddenly, making Hawk whimper.</p><p>“Let’s go inside, it’s getting cold.” Hawk nods his head at his boyfriend’s words, fumbling to get out of the car. </p><p>   His cheeks are red as he unlocks the door, his hands shaking slightly. The hand Demetri has on his back really isn’t helping either.</p><p>“Here, let me help.” Demetri grabs the keys from Hawk, finding the right one instantly. </p><p>   The boy smiles up at Demetri, and he finds himself thankful once again for his boyfriend. Not only is he the most loving person he’s ever met, but he’s also really good for a distraction.</p><p>   And a distraction is exactly what Hawk needs at the moment.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Late Night Phone Calls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wanted to thank everyone for all the support on this story. I honestly didn’t think anyone would like it. So, thank you all so much! Hope you enjoy the chapter :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sound of a phone ringing disturbs the two boys in bed. With their limbs tangled together, Hawk and Demetri reluctantly wake up. It’s Hawk who reaches over for the phone, his eyes barely open. </p><p>   After their talk last night, the two lovers had taken advantage of the empty house. They had fallen asleep around midnight, their bodies intertwined. </p><p>“Hello?” Hawk says hoarsely, his phone to his ear.</p><p>   There is no sound at first, making Hawk repeat himself.</p><p>“Eli?” Sam’s voice comes through the phone, causing Hawk to fully wake up. He sits up in his bed, causing a groggy Demetri to do the same.</p><p>“What’s wrong, Princess?” He tries to not sound as worried as he is, not wanting to scare the girl over the phone.</p><p>“I-I…” Hawk hears Sam let out a shaky breath, giving him the time to put the phone on speaker so Demetri can hear her as well. </p><p>“Tory called me.” </p><p>   Hawk clenches his jaw, holding back the curse words that almost come out.</p><p>“She’s threatening me to silence, Eli.” Her voice sounds terrified, making Hawk let out a noise that sounds like a growl. </p><p>“What did she say?” Hawk asks, his voice no longer calm.</p><p>“She said she’s going to be watching me, and that I better keep quiet or-” she cuts herself off, a terrified whimper coming from the other side of the phone.</p><p>“Or something will happen to the people around me.” </p><p>   Hawk rubs his forehead, instantly knowing what Tory meant by that. He had heard her say it before, and as far as he knew, she went through with what she threatened. </p><p>“Damn it.” Demetri mumbles, his hand going through his hair. </p><p>“C-Can you come over? I don’t feel safe…” she sounds as if she’s looking around the room, because her voice keeps fading every few seconds. </p><p>   Hawk looks over at Demetri, seeing if he’s okay with going over there. Demetri nods and leans over to the phone, “We’ll be over in a few minutes, Sam. Don’t worry.”</p><p>   The taller of the two is instantly out of the bed, grabbing his clothes off of the floor. </p><p>“Thank you…” Sam’s voice is small again, making Hawk turn his attention back to her. </p><p>“It’s fine, Sam. We’ll be over soon, I promise.” He tries to sound calm again, but the anger going through him is too strong. </p><p>“You’ll have to come through the back door.” She says.</p><p>   Hawk tells her they will before saying a quick goodbye. He hangs up the phone not long after Sam says it back, her fearful voice making his heart break. </p><p>   The boy scrambled out of bed, pulling on the pants he had worn earlier. The only change he makes is that he pulls a fresh shirt on, having worn the other for too long now. </p><p>“You still have extra clothes in my closet.” Hawk says after watching Demetri smell his shirt. </p><p>   Demetri smiles at Hawk, “You still have my stuff?” Hawk blushes before looking away. He walks over to his closet, pulling out one of Demetri’s shirts that he had left over after a sleepover. </p><p>“Here, smartass.” He throws the shirt at Demetri, who catches easily. The taller boy gives his boyfriend a knowing smirk.</p><p>“Hurry, Sam’s waiting.” His words seem to make Demetri come back to reality, now making quick work on the shirt. </p><p>   Once they’re both dressed, Hawk leads the way down the stairs. He grabs his keys off the table and rushes out the door, Demetri not far behind.</p><p>•••</p><p>   Hawk parks his car outside of The LaRusso’s driveway, not wanting Sam’s mom to see his car when she leaves for work in the morning. He makes sure it’s somewhat hidden before getting out, locking it after Demetri gets out as well. </p><p>“We have to go through the back door.” Hawk says quietly to Demetri, who only nods his head. </p><p>   They make their way down the long driveway, and it’s not long before they spot the house. There are no lights on, just the outside ones. </p><p>   The back door is unlocked when Hawk goes to open it, and he guesses Sam unlocked it. He quietly creaks it open, going through quickly before stepping aside for Demetri to do the same.</p><p>   Hawk motions for the stairs, making his way across the kitchen to them. He hears Demetri’s soft footsteps behind him, the sound comforting him. They make their way up the stairs, trying not to creak them too much. </p><p>   When they get to the hallway upstairs, Hawk takes Demetri’s hand. He guides them across the hall, straight to Sam’s room. Her door is closed, but he can see the light coming from under the door. </p><p>   Hawk creaks the door open, pulling Demetri in with him when he steps through. He closes the door instantly, his heartbeat calming down not long after. </p><p>   Turning back to the room, Hawk feels his heart sink at the sight before him. Sam is on her bed, her head buried in her arms. His old sweater is on her again, and Hawk guesses she put it on to comfort herself. </p><p>“Sam?” Demetri’s whisper is loud in the room, shocking the girl. She looks up quickly, her body relaxing at the sight of them. </p><p>   Sam scrambles from her bed, rushing toward the two boys standing in her room. She wraps her arms around the both of them, soft sobs coming from her lips. Both Demetri and Hawk wrap their arms around the girl, pulling her closer to them. </p><p>   Hawk rubs Sam’s back softly, while Demetri whispers comforting words to her. </p><p>“I don’t know what to do.” Sam says, her voice muffled from her sobs and the two boys' chests. </p><p>“We’ll figure it out… it’s going to be okay.” Hawk says softly, not stopping his hand movements. </p><p>   After a while, Sam pulls away. She wipes her tears, trying to calm down. The boys watch silently as she takes a few calming breaths. </p><p>“I think… I think it’s time we tell your parents, Sam. This has gone too far.” Demetri hesitantly says, his voice still a whisper. </p><p>   Sam only nods, finally agreeing with their argument from earlier to tell her parents. Hawk can see her still not wanting anyone else to know, but he can tell she understands how dangerous this has gotten. </p><p>“What if she hurts someone?” Sam asks, biting her nails as she looks up at them. </p><p>   Hawk shakes his head, “She won’t know… we will figure this out, Princess.” Sam relaxes at his words, nodding as tears fall down her face again. </p><p>“Let’s get you to bed.” Demetri says softly, pulling Sam to her bed. He pulls the blankets back, and helps Sam get into bed. </p><p>   Hawk grabs the blanket from the end of the bed, pulling it up over Sam’s body. He helps Demetri tuck the girl in, smiling when she lets out a satisfied sigh. </p><p>“Thank you.” She whispers, her eyes already closing due to exhaustion. </p><p>“Goodnight, Sam.” Demetri says softly, Hawk repeating him. </p><p>   Sam smiles as her eyes close, “Night… love you.” Her voice fades, a sign she is already asleep. </p><p>   Hawk grins, looking over at Demetri — who is grinning, too. They quietly move away from the sleeping girl, moving to go get a few blankets. They set up another bed on the floor, crawling in and getting comfortable. </p><p>   Hawk looks at Sam’s sleeping form one more time before laying his head down, letting sleep take him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Truth Comes Out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you follow me on Tumblr you know that I was feeling a bit under the weather yesterday. Luckily, I’m feeling better today... so here’s chapter 14. Hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hawk wakes up to the sound of someone shuffling around in Sam’s room. He finds himself jerking up, looking around to see if Sam had gotten up. When he spots Sam’s mom pulling the blanket over Sam up, he relaxes. The woman looks at him, her eyes curious and worried. </p><p>   The boy sighs and pulls his blanket back, standing to his feet. He glances at Demetri’s sleeping form before looking back at the woman.</p><p>“It’s not my place to tell you.” He starts, catching the woman off guard. His voice is quiet, not wanting to wake the other two in the room.</p><p>“Wake them up and meet me downstairs.” Amanda says just as quietly, but her voice makes him think back to his own mom. </p><p>   Hawk nods, and turns back to Demetri. When he bends down to shake his boyfriend awake, he hears Amanda leave the room just as quietly as she came. </p><p>“Wake up, baby.” Hawk shakes Demetri gently, not stopping until the boy stirs and opens his eyes. </p><p>   The boy moves away from his boyfriend, going to the bed now. He sits down and leans over, placing a hand on Sam’s covered shoulder. She must have turned in her sleep because she is now facing him, her face barely visible due to the blanket on her body. </p><p>“Time to wake up, Sam.” He gently shakes her before moving to remove the blanket a little bit, making the girl flinch in her sleep.</p><p>   Sam’s brown eyes meet his blue ones, causing him to smile at her. She seems to recognize him instantly, even in her sleepy state, and smiles back. </p><p>“Morning…” she rasps out, stretching her arms over her body.</p><p>“Time to get up. Your mom came in and saw us, and now she wants to talk to us.” Hawk explains, giving the girl an apologetic look. </p><p>   Sam sighs, “I didn’t know it was going to be this soon.” She mumbles, sitting up in her bed. </p><p>   The girl lets out a groan before standing from her bed. The old sweater hangs lowly on her body, covering her shorts. She goes over to her closet, pulling out some clothes before walking into the bathroom to change. </p><p>   Demetri lets out a sigh, making Hawk look over at him. His boyfriend looks troubled, the sight making Hawk jump to his feet and walking over to Demetri.</p><p>“What is it?” Hawk asks, placing a hand on his boyfriend’s cheek. </p><p>   Demetri leans into his touch, “What if they don’t believe her, Eli?” </p><p>   The shorter of the two jolts, shocked at Demetri’s words. He shakes his head, “There’s no way they won’t.” </p><p>“But there’s a possibility. We need to have a plan.” Demetri says quietly, not wanting Sam to hear them.</p><p>   Hawk nods, “Then she will decide what she wants to do. If she wants to just move on, then we will support her decision.</p><p>And if she wants to keep fighting — going against her parents wishes — then she can stay with me, and we will help her fight this.” Hawk says, smiling at the way Demetri’s body relaxes. </p><p>“She has people that love and believe her, Baby… she isn’t alone.” Demetri nods at Hawk’s words, relaxing in his boyfriend’s hold. </p><p>   The bathroom door opening makes them reluctantly move away from each other. Sam doesn’t pay them any mind, too focused on trying to straighten the shirt she’s wearing. The outfit is similar to the one she wore yesterday, but the top is a different color. </p><p>“Okay, let’s get this over with.” She says softly, giving them a wobbly smile when she looks up. </p><p>   The two boys give her a smile back, nodding their heads. She shuffles her way into the middle of them, placing an arm around both of them. They walk down like that, the boys whispering comforting words as Sam grips them tightly. </p><p>•••</p><p>   Amanda LaRusso doesn’t look up when they walk into the living room, her eyes focused on her hands. She only looks up when they sit down on the couch across from her.</p><p>“Good morning.” She says softly, giving them a kind smile. </p><p>   They mumble back a response, ready to get the interrogation over. Amanda, having realized how they don’t want to have small talk, shifts and opens her mouth to speak.</p><p>“Tell me why when I went into my daughter’s room this morning, I found two teenage boys sleeping on her floor.” Her voice isn’t mad, just curious. Something Hawk is thankful to hear. </p><p>“Mom, it’s a long story.” Sam says, only getting a pointed look from her mom. </p><p>   Sam takes a deep breath, looking at the two boys on either side of her. They both give her a small smile, grabbing onto one of her hands. </p><p>“Something happened the other night… something really bad.” Sam starts, her eyes moving away from her mother and to the floor. </p><p>“You know you can tell me anything, Sweetheart.” Amanda says, her body shifting like she wants to get up and comfort her daughter, but stops. </p><p>   Sam nods before continuing, “I went to a party… and started talking to some older guys. I-I ended up drinking a few cups of whatever they gave me.</p><p>Next thing I know, I’m being pushed into the mattress of a bed and there’s a pair of hands gripping me tightly.” Sam stops, the sound of her mother’s gasp making her jump. </p><p>   Sam goes to talk again, but struggles to. Hawk squeezes her hand, going to speak for the girl.</p><p>“Some people found her, and scared the guy off. Demetri and I took her to my house so she would be somewhere safe, and could get some clothes. We came here not long after that.” He explains, watching as Amanda puts her head in her hands. </p><p>“Oh, sweetie…” Amanda mumbles, instantly getting off the couch and moving to crouch in front of Sam. She pulls Sam to her, hugging her daughter tightly. </p><p>   Hawk and Demetri stand, giving the mother and daughter time to talk by themselves. The two boys go to the kitchen, the sound of Sam’s crying fading as they do so. </p><p>“Well… that was easier than I thought it was going to be.” Demetri says when they get into the kitchen, leaning up against the counter. </p><p>   Hawk sighs, “I think it’s about to get a lot more complicated.” He says as he looks out the window, Demetri is moving to do the same. </p><p>   There, just in front of them, Daniel LaRusso is happily walking across the driveway.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Safe With You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoy this chapter! Don’t forget to look at the notes at the end.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daniel LaRusso hums a happy tune as he turns his car off and opens the door. He has just gotten back from his work trip to LA, and he can’t help but feel excited to see his family. </p><p>   The man pulls his bag from the back seat, locking the car after. He continues his tune as he walks toward the front door, his smile not leaving his face. </p><p>“I’m home!” Daniel yells out, but stops when no one is there to greet him. Sam always greets him after a trip. </p><p>   Before he can yell out again, he spots two familiar boys rushing into the entrance hall. He frowns, “What are you boys doing here?” </p><p>   Demetri and Hawk look at each other oddly before looking back at Daniel.</p><p>“Mr LaRusso-” Hawk starts, but is cut off by the sound of Amanda’s heels clicking.</p><p>“Daniel…” </p><p>   The sensei looks over at his wife, his stomach clenching at the sight of her. Her face is red, and there are tears still running down her face. Daniel drops his bag, rushing to his wife instantly.</p><p>“What’s wrong? Where are the kids?” His words are rushed, his eyes full of fear and confusion. </p><p>   Hawk watches anxiously as Amanda places a hand on Daniel’s chest, calming the man. She shakes her head, tears falling as she does so.</p><p>“Just come sit down. We will explain everything.” She motions to the boys, wanting them to follow her and her husband. </p><p>   Hawk and Demetri hesitantly follow the older couple, their hands intertwined. </p><p>   The living room is empty when they get in there, no Sam in sight. Hawk guesses the girl didn’t want to face her father right now, and decided to just go upstairs and rest. </p><p>“What’s going on, Amanda?” Daniel asks, bringing Hawk out of his thoughts. </p><p>   The woman struggles to talk, and Hawk feels his face soften as he pity’s the woman. He listens intently as the woman explains everything to her husband. The party, the drinks, and the attack.</p><p>   Daniel’s body tenses up, his eyes not leaving the floor. Hawk sees the man’s hands start to shake, and form into fists.</p><p>“Who did it…” The man asks, his voice broken.</p><p>   Hawk shifts in his seat, his hand gripping Demetri’s, “His name is Ethan… and he’s a new member of Cobra Kai.” At the mention of the other karate dojo, Daniel’s head pops up. His eyes are fierce, the sight of them makes Hawk shiver and lean into Demetri further. </p><p>“Kreese…” The man stands, his whole body shaking now. </p><p>“I’m going to kill him!” Hawk stands at his sensei’s words, Demetri following after him.</p><p>“Mr LaRusso, no! We’re not even sure if Kreese knows about this… I think it was just Tory and Kyler.” His words don’t calm the older man down, they only seem to make him angrier.</p><p>“Somehow I highly doubt that sick bastard doesn’t know!” Daniel yells, the sound making Hawk flinch. </p><p>   Before anyone can try to calm the man down, there’s a soft sound from behind them. Everyone in the living room look toward the stairs, finding a fragile looking Sam.</p><p>“Dad?” Her voice is small, making her sound like a little kid. </p><p>   Sam moves off the stairs, and Hawk finds himself being the wall between Sam and an angry ‘intruder’ again. He watches as Daniel’s anger fades slowly, seeing the way his daughter hides behind her friends. </p><p>“Sweetie… you should have called. I would have come home as soon as I heard.” He stumbles over his words, not sound like the wise sensei the three teens know him as. </p><p>   Sam shakes her head, “I didn’t-” her voice cracks, “I wasn’t ready for everyone to know.” </p><p>“What changed?” Daniel asks, a look of curiosity crossing his face.</p><p>   Sam shrugs, “I-I pushed myself too hard… and I realized I can’t do this alone.” Her words make Daniel sigh, his eyes sad as he looks at his daughter. </p><p>   As if he’s forgotten his anger, Daniel takes a few steps forward, ignoring Sam’s flinch. Hawk moves to the side, letting the man pull his daughter to his chest.</p><p>   Sam relaxes instantly in her father’s hold, letting the comfort of his strong arms warm her body. Having Hawk and Demetri, even Miguel, hold her has brought her comfort in the last few days… but nothing beats her dad’s hugs. Ever since she was little, Sam had found herself running for her dad whenever something bad happened. He would always wrap his arms tight around her, keeping her safe from all the ridiculous things she found scary as a child. </p><p>   But Sam can’t help but think this is different. Sure, her dad will do anything to protect her from the monster who did this to her, but she knows he can’t protect her from him forever. She will have to face the boy who did this at some point. </p><p>   Sam pushes those thoughts to the back of her head. No, she’s going to enjoy the feeling of being safe and loved as long as possible. She cuddles closer into Daniel’s chest, letting out a content sigh as he holds her tighter. </p><p>   Daniel was thinking about the same thing as Sam. His daughter hasn’t hugged him like this since she had her first run in with bullies in middle school. </p><p>   When Sam was born, he had swore he would always look after his little girl. Apparently he didn’t protect her enough, because she now has to deal with the trauma of what has happened to her. As he thinks about how he has failed his daughter, Daniel feels his anger coming back. But it soon fades again when his daughter cuddles closer into his chest, and he instantly pulls her tighter against him. </p><p>   Anger, and Kreese, can wait until later… he has a daughter to take care of right now.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know this is short and doesn’t really have any “action” but I think it’s important to show that Sam has the support of her family, as well as our boys :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Unexpected Guest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>⚠️TW⚠️</p><p>Read all warnings before reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once the clock hit 8:30, it was time for the LaRusso’s to head to work. They had a long talk after the guy shared between father and daughter, a talk filled with what to do, and what had happened. </p><p>“So someone from Cobra Kai sent this Ethan kid to attack you, right?” Daniel asked once they sat back down on the couch, his hand still holding onto Sam. </p><p>   Sam nods, “Yes… and I’m being threaded by them, too.” Her words are hesitant, not wanting to anger her father again. </p><p>   Daniel clenches his jaw, nodding. He seems to get his anger under control quickly, “Okay, I’ll deal with that.” </p><p>“For now, you guys need to stay here. Sam, no school this week… and you boys-” he cuts himself off, pointing at the two teens on the other couch, “You’re to come here or to your own house straight after school. Make sure to tell the others that we will be having a buddy system from now on, nobody goes anywhere alone.” </p><p>   The kids nod their head, agreeing with their sensei. They had wondered what they were going to do about school, and about the possibility of Sam being in danger there, so they’re glad Mr LaRusso had a plan. </p><p>   The talk had lasted a few more minutes, but it was soon time for the couple to leave. They had left not long after giving the three teens hugs and goodbye’s. </p><p>   Now, sitting quietly in the kitchen with plates of food in front of them, they think over the conversation.</p><p>“Do you think my dad will go straight to Kreese?” Sam asks, moving her eggs around on her plate. </p><p>   Hawk looks up from his own food, swallowing quickly before talking, “I don’t think so… you’re mom seems to have him under control.”</p><p>“Plus, I think he knows how dangerous it could be if he does.” Demetri adds.</p><p>   Sam nods her head, but doesn’t look up from her plate. Her mind seems to be going over everything all at once, making her frown. </p><p>   The boys go to say something, but are cut off by the doorbell ringing. Sam sits up, stopping Hawk from going to get it.</p><p>“It’s probably just Miguel… I’ll get it.” She says before standing and walking to the door. </p><p>   Sam doesn’t think to look out to see who it is, her mind still fuzzy from all the events that happened that morning. She swings the door open, a small smile on her face, ready to greet Miguel. </p><p>   The person on her porch makes her smile disappear instantly, it being replaced by a small frown. </p><p>   The boy has darker hair, and is a lot taller than her. She tries to compare him to Demetri’s height, but before she can the boy turns around. </p><p>“Miss me?” His voice sends shivers down her spine, and she’s instantly taken back to the other night. </p><p>   Her legs tremble under her, and Sam thinks she’s about to fall.</p><p>“W-Who…?” She tries to talk, tries to sound as intimidating as she can, but fails.</p><p>   The boy chuckles, “You don’t remember me, sweetheart? Aw, come on… we had a good time together the other night.” He cocks his head to the side, mocking her.</p><p>   Sam feels her throat close, and she struggles to breath. It’s like his hands are back on her throat… like she's back in that bedroom at Moon’s.</p><p>“Ethan…” Sam mumbles, causing the boy in front of her to smile. </p><p>“Ah, so you do remember me!” His voice makes her shiver again, and she has to fight back the urge to throw up. </p><p>“How did you-” She starts, but is cut off by the boy.</p><p>“Find where you live? Oh, Tory sent me the address. I’m here to give you a little message.” </p><p>   Her body is frozen, and Sam finds it hard to breath. It’s like she’s drugged again, at the mercy of the monster in front of her. </p><p>“But before I do that, how about we finish what we started?” He says darkly, pushing past her to get inside the house. </p><p>   Sam feels her eyes widen, and her legs start to shake. No… this isn’t happening. It’s just a dream. </p><p>   The feeling of his hands wrapping around her, keeping her from moving. Sam tries to call out for Hawk and Demetri, but the hand around her throat is keeping her from doing so. </p><p>   This is it… this is how she’s going to die.</p><p>   Her mind is racing, trying to figure out a way to get free. She needs help… she needs her boys. </p><p>   Tears start to stream down her face, the sound of her choked sobs only barely audible. </p><p>   He’s found her, and he’s come back to finish her off. This has been what has fueled her nightmares for days now, but she never thought she would be back in this situation again. </p><p>“Please… please, stop…” Sam mumbles, her voice hoarse.</p><p>   Where are Hawk and Demetri? Where’s Miguel?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed. What does everyone think?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Revenge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>⚠️TW⚠️</p><p>Mentions blood and fighting!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The hand around Sam’s throat tightens it’s hold, the girl choking due to the pressure. She feels his free hand slither it’s way down her shirt, to her jeans. The girl struggles, letting out a few more failed attempts at calling for the boys in the kitchen.</p><p>   When Ethan unbuttons her jeans and starts talking, Sam takes the opportunity to kick him. She feels his grip loosen on her throat, she gasps for air loudly.</p><p>“HELP!” She yells out as loud as she can. The sound of loud footsteps follow right after.</p><p>   Ethan, having not realized others were home, scrambles to his feet. He tries to make a run for the door, but is too late. Hawk is already there.</p><p>   Sam watches with wide eyes as the smaller boy tackles Ethan to the floor. Hawk and Ethan struggle for a second, but it’s obvious the guy is no match for her friend. </p><p>   It doesn’t take long for Hawk to start throwing punches, the sound of bones cracking filling the small entrance hall. Sam watches in awe as her friend beats her attacker, still in shock from what just happened. </p><p>   Demetri, who has gotten a few kicks in, notices her shocked expression. He stops his attack on the guy, rushing for Sam. He pulls her closer, “I’m going to go call the police okay?” He says, having to talk loudly due to the sounds coming from Hawk’s fist hitting Ethan’s face. </p><p>   Sam only nods, letting her other friend pull away and rush to the kitchen. With Demetri gone, Sam is able to fully understand what’s going on in front of her. </p><p>   Hawk has Ethan pinned to the floor, his fists making quick work on the guy below him. Her friends face is scowling due to his anger, and Sam can tell Hawk won’t stop anytime soon. </p><p>   The boy below her friend has passed out already, his body limp as Hawk continues his attack. Sam feels her mouth open, wanting to call out for her friend.</p><p>“Stop…” her voice is too quiet for Hawk to hear, so she tries again, “Eli, stop! You’ll kill him!” She finally yells out, her eyes still wide. Her throat burns from the yelling, Ethan’s abuse to it making it feel raw and sore.</p><p>   Hawk stops, standing to his feet. He glares down at the boy before turning to Sam. The girl gasps at the sight of her friend.</p><p>   Blood is covering his shirt and hands, and if she looks closely she can see the blood splatters on his face as well. She steps back in fear when Hawk steps closer to her, her body still tense from the attack that just happened.</p><p>   Before Hawk can dwell on the guilt of making Sam fear him, Demetri comes rushing back into the room. He glances at the scene, his eyes widening.</p><p>“Uh, the police are on their way.” Demetri says, his eyes not leaving the bloody puddle Hawk left his victim in. </p><p>“Fuck… what was he doing here? How did he find you?” Hawk says, his voice louder than he wanted it to be, making Sam flinch.</p><p>“Shit, Sam… I’m sorry.” He adds, his eyes showing his guilt.</p><p>“He said Tory sent him with a message, but he never told me.” Sam says, ignoring Hawk’s apology.</p><p>   The two boys nod, and go to say something else but they are interrupted by the sound of sirens. It doesn’t take long for the police and paramedics to make it inside the house. They take Ethan’s limp body away in a stretcher, and paramedics take him to the ambulance which he quickly leaves in. </p><p>   The police split the three teens up, wanting to get everyone’s side of the story.</p><p>   Halfway through her side of the story, Sam sees her parents rush into the house. They are stopped by two police officers, but are soon let through when everyone realizes they’re Sam’s parents. </p><p>“Sam!” Amanda yells out, rushing for her daughter, her husband not far behind.</p><p>   Sam doesn’t give them the time to question her, “You have to make sure they don’t take Eli away. Please, don’t let them arrest him!” She rushes out, her eyes begging as she looks at her parents.</p><p>   The couple look around the room quickly, trying to find the red headed boy. They find him near the stairs, two police officers in front of him. He’s wearing handcuffs. </p><p>   Daniel’s eyes widen, kissing his daughter's head before rushing over to his student. Sam relaxes when she sees her dad talk the officers into uncuffing the boy, his hand on Hawk’s shoulder as he talks. </p><p>“Where’s Demetri?” Amanda asks, looking around. Sam looks up at her mom, “I think they took him to the kitchen.” She says quietly, her eyes going back to Hawk.</p><p>“He saved me, mom… please, don’t let them take him. He didn’t do anything, it was E-Ethan.” Sam says through tears, hugging her mom tighter.</p><p>“We’re going to do everything we possibly can to help him, Sweetie. He did a good thing today, and we won’t let anyone overlook that.” Amanda says as she holds her daughter, her voice calming the girl in her arms. </p><p>   Daniel comes back only a few minutes later, his eyes sad. Sam looks up at him, “What did they say?” </p><p>   The man sighs, “I talked them into not arresting him, but they are going to be keeping an eye on him.” Sam frowns at his words, cocking her head to the side.</p><p>“That’s good news… why do you look upset?” Sam asks, not sure if she wants the answer to that.</p><p>“Well… since the cops now know about what happened, I think we should consider taking this to court.” Daniel reaches out for his daughter, his eyes looking into hers.</p><p>“He came back, Sam… who’s to say he won’t do it again?” Sam’s face pales at those words. Her dad is right, there is a chance Ethan could come back once he’s fully healed. </p><p>“Okay.” She says, making her parents smile.</p><p>“I’ll press charges.” She holds her head up, trying to look strong.</p><p>   Sam looks over where Hawk was once sitting, now finding him standing with Demetri not too far away from them. They smile at her, obviously having heard her conversation with her parents. Sam motions for them to join, her parents looking back to see who she’s looking at.</p><p>   Hawk and Demetri join the LaRusso family, small smiles on their faces. Sam notices that Hawk has changed, and his face is no longer covered in blood. She grins at that, instantly pulling him in for a hug. </p><p>   The boy chuckles, wrapping his arms around his friend. He feels her pull away, making him do the same. He looks down at her, his smile still on his face.</p><p>“Thank you.” She whispers, her eyes filling up with tears, “If you hadn't been there-” she’s cut off by Hawk pulling her in for another hug.</p><p>“Anytime, Princess.” He whispers back.</p><p>   Once they part, Sam finds herself being pulled into another pair of arms. These arms aren’t as strong as Hawk’s, but Sam still feels herself relaxing. Demetri has always had the best hugs.</p><p>“I’m so glad you’re okay.” He says softly, his hands rubbing her back before pulling away.</p><p>   Sam smiles up at him, “Me too.”</p><p>   But she’s not okay, and the people around her can tell. Samantha LaRusso is scared out of her mind, but she won’t show it… not yet, at least.</p><p>“Don’t touch me!” A voice yells out, making the group jump. </p><p>   Everyone around her forms a circle, protecting her from any danger that might come from the owner of that voice. When the voice yells out again, Sam lets out a little giggle.</p><p>“Calm down, it’s just Miguel.” Sam says, moving her family and friends to the side. </p><p>   A group of officers are keeping a frustrated Miguel, and a frowning Moon from entering the house. Sam calls out to them, telling them it’s okay for the two to come in. </p><p>   Miguel lets out a frustrated sigh as he maneuvers Moon and himself through the crowd of officers. He smiles when he sees Sam, relief visible on his face.</p><p>“You’re okay!” He says happily. </p><p>   Sam takes a few steps closer, wrapping her arms around both Miguel and Moon. She gives them a gentle squeeze before pulling away.</p><p>“We came as soon as we heard.” Moon says once they pull away, then giving everyone else around them a kind smile as a greeting. </p><p>   Sam frowns, “How would you have heard about this already? It just happened.” </p><p>   Moon’s eyes widen, looking over at Miguel in shock. The boy’s eyes widened too, swallowing hard. </p><p>“Uh… here.” Moon pulls out her phone, clicking on something.</p><p>   Sam takes the phone, looking over the article that is in bold letters. There’s a picture of Sam’s house, cop cars all around it. Sam frowns, reading the article quickly. She can feel the others leaning over her shoulder, reading with her.</p><p>   The article goes into detail about what happened, but almost all of it is false. But the message is there…</p><p>   Something happened at the LaRusso house.</p><p>   Sam sighs, “Stupid nosy neighbors!” She hands Moon her phone back, who gives her a sympathetic look.</p><p>“At least they don’t know the whole story.” Demetri adds.</p><p>“I have a feeling they will soon, though…” Daniel says, making everyone look over at him in confusion. His eyes are focused on the door, and everyone looks over to see what has his attention.</p><p>   At the door — being held back by a large group of officers — is a news team, their cameras already pointed at the group in the living room.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading this chapter! I have decided to post this chapter early because I didn’t really like the ending of the last one.</p><p>Also, I keep seeing comments about Miguel. I want everyone to understand... Miguel is a “side character” in this story. While he’s more present than Moon, he’s still not going to be as present as Demetri and Hawk. I’m sorry if you don’t like that, but I just wanted to make that clear.</p><p>And... Miguel and Sam will be somewhat of a slow burn couple. There is obviously still feelings, but Sam just isn’t ready right now.</p><p>If you want more information about this, please check out schplove02 on Tumblr. </p><p>Hope you have a lovely day, and enjoyed the chapter :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. You’ve Changed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The living room of the LaRusso household is quiet, something it hasn’t been for a few hours now. The police finally left, along with the group of news teams. Thankfully, Daniel was able to talk the news team out of the house, telling them a short summary of what happened.</p><p>   Now, the house is basically empty. The only people left are the actual residents of the home, and Sam’s close friends.</p><p>   Hawk looks up from the floor at the thought of the others, his eyes finding them on the couches. Sam sleeping, curled under her dad’s jacket. Miguel, Moon, and Demetri are all sitting close as they talk quietly about the day's events. The boy frowns as he looks at them. He should be over there as well, but his guilt is too much at the moment. </p><p>   The boy places his head in his hands, letting out a sigh. How could he let himself do what he did today? When he was beating Ethan, it was like he went back to the old Hawk. The Hawk that broke Demetri’s arm. </p><p>   At the reminder of his lowest moment, Hawk lets out a shaky sob. No real tears fall from his closed eyes, but his body still shakes.</p><p>   His body jerks suddenly, the feeling of a hand on his shoulder bringing him back from his destructive thoughts. The boy looks up, his eyes meeting kind brown one’s.</p><p>   Great.</p><p>“Hey, kid.” Daniel says softly before sitting down next to Hawk.</p><p>   The boy clenches his jaw, and doesn’t give an answer. He hears his sensei sigh before looking out at the living room, watching the others.</p><p>“You almost killed him.” The man states, his eyes not moving to look at his student.</p><p>   Hawk chokes on a small gasp, looking over at Daniel with wide eyes. Daniel turns, his eyes clashing with Hawk’s.</p><p>“I don’t blame you, no one does. Hell, if I had been there…” Daniel clenches his jaw, his body tensing up. The man sighs, shaking his head.</p><p>“I wouldn’t be a free man.” Daniel finishes, making Hawk’s stomach drop.</p><p>“Sir, I-” Hawk cuts himself off, knowing he was about to lie. About to tell the man in front of him that he didn’t mean to take it that far, that he didn’t mean to almost kill Ethan. </p><p>“I wouldn’t change a thing.” Hawk says darkly, his voice foreign to his own ears.</p><p>“He broke her, turned her into something she’s not. So, how could anyone expect me to not do what I did? The bastard deserved it.” Hawk’s hands close into fists, and the boy has to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down. </p><p>   A humorless chuckle is heard from his right, making Hawk look over. Daniel is looking at him, his eyes showing an emotion Hawk has never seen on the man. Granted, he doesn’t know him that well…</p><p>“Like I said, no one blames you. You’re a good fighter, and a good friend to my little girl. I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t trust you. I couldn’t look past how you treated everyone, especially Sam and Demetri.” The man pauses, placing a hand on Hawk’s arm. The boy doesn’t flinch, something Daniel takes as a good sign.</p><p>“Then I saw you this morning, shielding my own daughter away from me because she was scared. That, kid, is when I realized you changed.” Hawk smiles at that, a small blush on his cheeks.</p><p>   Daniel smiles, “So, you keep protecting my girl — and that boyfriend of yours — and you’ll always be good in my books.” </p><p>   Hawk lets out a soft chuckle, nodding his head, “Will do, Sir.” </p><p>   Daniel nods before standing, “Now, go over there with your friends, and stop looking so gloomy. You should be happy, you saved Sam today.” The man smiles again before walking off into the kitchen.</p><p>   Hawk stands, Daniel’s words having sparked some life back into him. He isn’t the old Hawk… the old Hawk would have left Sam in the arms of that monster. No, that’s not him anymore, it hasn’t been for awhile. </p><p>   The boy makes his way over to the three teens who are still talking, their voices hushed due to the girl sleeping across from them. They notice him instantly, all of them giving him a soft smile. He gives one back before placing himself gently on Demetri’s lap, his boyfriend wrapping his arms around him instantly.</p><p>“What are you guys talking about?” Hawk whispers, his friends attention still on him. </p><p>   Demetri shifts under him, “Sam.” </p><p>“We’re coming up with a schedule, that way someone is always with her.” Moon says softly, making the boy's eyes go to her. </p><p>“Yeah? Let me see…” Hawk reaches for the phone in Moon’s hand, which Hawk guesses has the schedule on it. </p><p>   He reads over what they have down, frowning, “You have Chris down?” He looks up and eyes the three teens skeptically.</p><p>“Sam is close with Chris, we thought it would only be right.” Miguel explains, making Hawk nod. </p><p>“I like this… we should run it by Sam and her parents tomorrow.” The friends nod.</p><p>   Moon gently takes her phone back, typing a few more things before turning it off. She looks over at the couple next to her.</p><p>“Tomorrow is Monday. How are you guys feeling about going to school?” She asks hesitantly, not sure how the two will respond.</p><p>   Demetri sighs, shaking his head, “I don’t know… we’ll push through, though.” </p><p>“We’ll be fine, Dem.” Hawk says, giving his boyfriend a pointed look. </p><p>“No one will say anything, especially not after today. They won’t risk it.” His words seem to calm the others, their bodies relaxing into the couches. </p><p>   They sit in comfortable silence, the only sound in the room is Sam’s soft snores. Their silence is ruined, though, when Sam’s snores turn into whimpers. The pitiful sounds cause Hawk to jump to his feet, rushing to the other couch. </p><p>   He kneels down in front of Sam’s sleeping form, the others doing the same. Her whimpers turn into full on sobs, and body starts to jerk in her sleep.</p><p>   Hawk places a gentle hand on Sam’s shoulder, “Shh… shh…” his shushes for nothing to calm the girl, as her cries get louder. </p><p>   The once Cobra pulls the crying girl into his arms, rocking her. He hears the others whispering softly to her, their words combined with his rocking lulling the girl back into a peaceful sleep.</p><p>   Once Sam is settled, Hawk picks the girl up bridal style. He is careful to not wake her as he stands, making his way to the stairs. </p><p>   Miguel and Demetri help him with maneuvering Sam’s head and feet around as they make their way up the stairs. Sam’s door is open, thankfully, giving Hawk easy access to the room.</p><p>“Just lay her down there.” Demetri whispers, pointing to the right side of Sam’s bed. </p><p>   Hawk gently places Sam down, carefully unwrapping her arms from his neck. He steps back, letting Moon cover the girl with a blanket. He hears his ex girlfriend whisper a soft goodnight to her friend before stepping back, letting the boys go the same. </p><p>   Once Miguel and Demetri have both said their good nights, Hawk leans down onto the bed again. He grabs the teddy bear next to the girl, and places it closer so she can grab it if she wakes up. </p><p>“Night, Princess…” he stands again, looking at the other three teens. They all silently leave the room, careful to not disturb the girl. </p><p>   As they make their way down the stairs, they pass Mr LaRusso. He has a pillow and blanket in his arms, and the kids guess he won’t be sleeping in his own room that night. The man gives them all a smile and quiet goodnight, even places a passing hand on Hawk’s shoulder, while passing by. The teens look up the stairs, watching the man walking tiredly into Sam’s room. </p><p>“I’m glad she won’t be alone…” Moon mumbles before turning and continuing her walk down the stairs.</p><p>   Hawk follows, a lump in his throat as he does so. He doesn’t say anything on their way out of the house, not even a goodbye to Moon and Miguel.</p><p>   Demetri guides him up the driveway, toward the car that Hawk had parked earlier that morning. He hands Demetri his keys, and mumbles, “You drive.” As he walks to the passengers side. </p><p>   The engine roars to life loudly, making Hawk jump as he buckled his seat belt. He sighs before placing his head on the headrest, closing his eyes. The sound of his boyfriend’s voice makes him look over, though.</p><p>“We’ll see her tomorrow after school. We have practice, remember?” Demetri says, trying to make Hawk feel better. </p><p>   Even though his boyfriend puts on a happy face, Hawk can see the anxiety and sadness behind his eyes at having to leave Sam. It’s the same anxiety and sadness he feels at the moment.</p><p>   When he doesn’t say anything back, Demetri sighs and looks back at the road. He reaches over, grabbing Hawk’s hand. </p><p>“She’s safe. We have nothing to worry about.” Hawk sighs, nodding his head. He gives Demetri a smile, the boy giving him one back.</p><p>   Looking out the window, Hawk watches the LaRusso house fade from view. The boy tries to ignore the lump in throat, focusing on the lights passing by. He finds himself praying to whoever is listening that Sam will be safe tonight.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. First Day Back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the late chapter, but I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>News of the incident at The LaRusso’s had spread fast, and no one tried to hide their curiosity. Hawk and Demetri walk through the halls at school, their eyes casted down as they do so. </p><p>   Everyone is whispering, and the two boys know exactly what they’re all talking about.</p><p>“Did you see that article?”</p><p>“Did you hear what Sam’s dad said in that interview?”</p><p>“I wonder what happened…”</p><p>   Those are only the ones the boys were able to hear,  and Hawk is glad he couldn’t hear the others. He’s not sure if he wants to know what everyone thinks happened last night. </p><p>“There you guys are!” Hawk looks up from the floor, his eyes instantly going in the direction he heard the familiar voice.</p><p>   Miguel smiles at Hawk, the boy giving him one back. The brown boy walks up to them, giving the couple in front of him hugs before stepping back.</p><p>“I’ve been looking for you guys all morning. How’s it going so far?” Miguel looks around, eyeing all the people who are still whispering around them. </p><p>   Hawk feels Demetri shrug next to him, “Fine, I guess. Luckily no one seems to know.” His voice is low, not wanting people to hear. </p><p>   Hawk’s blue eyes scan the area, trying to find any sign of anyone listening in. When he sees no one is looking, the boy finally speaks.</p><p>“Do you know Sam’s schedule? We should probably pick up her work for the week.” He whispers to Miguel, his eyes still scanning the area.</p><p>“Yeah, I’ll pick it all up.” Miguel says, the bell going off as soon as he’s done speaking. </p><p>“I’ll see you guys at practice…” he trails off, giving the couple a stern look, “Be careful today… no going after Kylar or Tory.” The last part of his warning is directed at Hawk, who looks away innocently.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah… same for you.” Hawk mutters, which makes both Miguel and Demetri smirk. </p><p>   Once Miguel leaves, no doubt to his first period class, Demetri grabs Hawk’s hand. The boy looks over to his boyfriend, his brow frowned. </p><p>“Seriously, don’t do anything stupid today.” Demetri says, giving his boyfriend a pointed look.</p><p>   Hawk rolls his eyes, “I’ll try not to…” he glared playfully at Demetri, “But if they come up to me, I’m putting them six feet under.” He gives his boyfriend a sarcastic grin.</p><p>   Demetri chuckles, “Okay, okay…” the taller boy leans over, giving his boyfriend a quick kiss before reluctantly walking off to his class.</p><p>•••</p><p>   The end of the school day comes quickly, something Hawk is grateful for. As soon as the bell rings, the boy is up and out of his seat as quickly as possible. He has to shove a few people out of his way, but eventually makes it out to his car.</p><p>   Demetri and Miguel are leaning against it when he gets there, and they seem to be having a serious conversation. Hawk’s heart rate picks up. Has something happened to Sam? Did the Cobra’s get to her while they were all at school? </p><p>   When Demetri’s brown eyes meet Hawk’s blue ones, Hawk feels his body untense. His boyfriend’s eyes show nothing but happiness.</p><p>“Hey…” Demetri says softly, pulling Hawk into his arms. The red haired boy relaxes in his boyfriend’s hold, cuddling into his chest. </p><p>“Missed you.” Hawk whispers, his voice muffled by Demetri’s shirt.</p><p>   Demetri hums a response before pulling away, his hands still around Hawk’s waist. Hawk leans back, giving Demetri and Miguel a skeptical look.</p><p>“What were you guys talking about?” As soon as the words leave his mouth, Hawk feels Demetri tense up. </p><p>   His eyes turn to slits, glaring coldly at his boyfriend and best friend. </p><p>“Just talking about the schedule Moon made.” Miguel doesn’t meet Hawk’s eyes while he talks, a sign to Hawk that the boy is lying. </p><p>   Instead of trying to get the two boys to talk, Hawk only shakes his head. He clenches his jaw and moves to open his car door, “Alright…” he doesn’t have the energy to fight with them. </p><p>   Demetri and Miguel jump into Hawk’s car, ready to get to practice and see Sam. Hawk starts the car and pulls out of the school parking lot quickly. </p><p>•••</p><p>   The Miyagi Do dojo is basically empty when the boys get there, due to them getting there a half hour early. There’s only one other car in the driveway, which Hawk instantly recognizes as Mr LaRusso’s. </p><p>   Demetri leads the way into the backyard, his fast pace hard to keep up with. He looks around anxiously, trying to find any sign of the girl he’s been worried about all day.</p><p>   Sam’s head pops out from the house, her hair in a tight ponytail. She smiles at the three boys, giving them a bright greeting.</p><p>“Hey!” She says happily, walking out of the door and into the backyard. </p><p>   Sam makes her way over to Demetri first, giving him a tight hug before moving to Hawk and Miguel. She gives them both quick hugs before motioning them all into the house. </p><p>“Oh, Sam! I have your work for the week in my backpack, I’ll give it to you after practice.” Miguel says as he takes his shoes off before walking in.</p><p>   Sam smiles, “Thanks. I thought I was going to have to go pick it up.” </p><p>   Movement in the back of the house catches Hawk’s attention. He picks his head up from focusing on taking his shoes off, his eyes finding a smiling Daniel LaRusso.</p><p>“Hey kids.” Daniel says, already dressed for practice.</p><p>   They all get changed quickly after that, wanting to talk to Sam and her dad alone before people start showing up for practice.</p><p>“Sensei-” Hawk starts, now standing awkwardly in front of his sensei with his boyfriend and best friend behind him. </p><p>   Daniel looks up from what he’s doing, giving his students his full attention. Hawk clears his throat before handing the man his phone, a copy of the schedule Moon made on it. The three teens watch as Daniel reads over the schedule, his brow frowned as he does so. </p><p>“What is this for?” Danie asks, looking up from Hawk’s phone with curiosity in his eyes. </p><p>   Demetri clears his throat from behind Hawk, drawing Daniel’s attention, “It’s for Sam, sir… we think it would be best if someone is with her at all times.” </p><p>   Daniel doesn’t say anything for a moment, only stares at the three kids in front of him. He gives them all a nod after a few seconds, handing Hawk his phone.</p><p>“I like the idea… but have you talked to Sam about it?” Daniel asks.</p><p>   The three boys look away awkwardly, not meeting the man’s eyes.</p><p>“Uh, no… we thought we would ask you first.” Miguel says, stuttering over his words.</p><p>   Daniel nods, “I’m okay with it as long as Sam’s okay with it.”</p><p>“As long as I’m okay with what?”</p><p>   Everyone whips around, their eyes wide as they look over to find Sam standing nearby. She raises a brow at them, walking closer.</p><p>   Hawk hears Daniel slowly walk away, trying to not be noticed by his daughter as he makes his escape.</p><p>   Coward</p><p>“Uh, show her…” Demetri says suddenly, nudging Hawk with his elbow.</p><p>   The boy gives Demetri a half-hearted glare before pulling his phone out again, this time handing it to Sam. He watches anxiously as the girl reads over the schedule, not sure how she’ll respond.</p><p>“Okay.” She says suddenly, looking up at them. The boys frown, “Wait, you’re okay with it?” Miguel asks, shocked.</p><p>   Sam shrugs, “Yeah, it’s fine.” Her voice cracks slightly. She turns suddenly, making a quick escape out the door. The boys frown, not sure what that means. </p><p>   Did she like the idea? Or did she just go along with it because she’s scared…?</p><p>   Before Hawk can get any questions answered, the sound of voices come to his ears. People are starting to show up for practice.</p><p>   Hawk sighs, placing his phone near his bag before motioning for the other boys in the room to follow him. They make their way out to the back yard, their eyes going to Sam instantly. </p><p>   The girl is making friendly conversation with Chris, who is awkwardly standing near the girl. He doesn’t get too close — the boys notice — as to not scare the still fragile girl. </p><p>“I’m surprised she even showed up today.” Hawk’s ears perk up. He looks over and scowls at the younger kids, who are whispering about Sam.</p><p>“How about you mind your business!” Demetri says loudly, making Hawk jump. The smaller of the two turns  suddenly, placing a hand on Demetri’s chest as he pushes him away from the other kids.</p><p>“Stop.” Is all Hawk says, as he nudges Demetri to one of the platforms.</p><p>   Johnny comes in not long after that, yelling out directions as he passes. Everyone starts on their exercises quickly, not wanting to get yelled at by the older man. </p><p>“We start the schedule tonight.” Demetri says as he stretches, his eyes only glancing at Hawk quickly.</p><p>“I know.” Hawk replies, letting out a sigh after.</p><p>“Maybe we can see what’s bothering Sam while we’re there.” Hawk says, his eyes moving to where Sam sits alone as she stretches. He can see the way her body is now tense, and she isn’t looking up from the ground.</p><p>“Do you think something happened while we were gone last night?” Demetri asks, his voice hushed now as Johnny and Daniel make their way out of the house. </p><p>   Hawk sighs, “I sure as hell hope not.” He says, his eyes still on Sam.</p><p>   The girl looks up suddenly, having felt eyes on her. She meets Hawk’s stare, her eyes watery from tears. He squints at her, silently asking what’s wrong. The girl only shakes her head before looking back down at the ground.</p><p>   Before Hawk can yell out to the girl to ask what’s wrong, the loud voice of his sensei comes to his ears. The boy sighs, reluctantly taking his eyes off the girl to do what his sensei’s tell him. </p><p>   As he focuses on his moves, Hawk can’t help but think. He knows something is wrong, he can tell Demetri knows too. What the hell happened to Sam while they were gone?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the filler chapter, but keep an eye out for chapter 20... there’s going to be some action! Anyways, hope you enjoyed!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Painting Takes The Pain Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Binary Boyfriends are worried, Miguel’s spending time with his “step-dad”, and Sam’s painting to drown out the world.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the late chapter, but I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When practice ends, Hawk finds himself rushing to get dressed. He throws the clothes he wore that day back on before grabbing his bag and rushing out of the dojo. He hears Demetri chasing after him, his long legs making it easy for him to catch up.</p><p>   Sam is putting her bag in her dad’s car, her expression emotionless as she does so. Hawk yells out to her, making the girl turn around to look at him.</p><p>“Sam…” Hawk mutters when he gets closer, fighting the urge to pull the girl to his chest.</p><p>“What’s wrong, Sweetie?” Demetri asks, standing behind Hawk.</p><p>   Sam sighs as she closes the car door. She turns toward the two boys, her face still showing no emotion.</p><p>“I had a rough night last night.” She says shyly, looking away from them.</p><p>“Nightmares?” Hawk asks softly.</p><p>   Sam nods, her lip trembling as she tries to find something to focus on. Hawk watches with sad eyes, remembering the nightmares he has witnessed the girl have. </p><p>“Do you want to talk about it?” Demetri asks, taking a step closer. He places a hand on Sam’s shoulder, making the girl flinch. </p><p>   Sam shakes her head, still not meeting her friend's gazes. She flinches again when she hears her fathers voice yelling a goodbye to Johnny. </p><p>“Ready to go?” Daniel asks when he gets to the car. If he notices the tense situation in front of him, he doesn’t say anything.</p><p>   Sam nods before looking back up at her friends, finally able to look at them. She gives them a fake smile, “Still coming over?” Demetri and Hawk nod and watch as the girl climbs into Daniel’s car, waving goodbye.</p><p>   When the car pulls out of the driveway, the two boys are left standing there. They look at each other, both sporting a worried expression. The talk with Sam didn’t do anything to calm their worries, and they still believe something else happened while they were gone. </p><p>   Not wanting to waste anymore time, the two boys grab their things and rush back to Hawk’s car. Miguel — who had gotten a ride home with Johnny — isn’t there to fill the silence in the car, but the two boys don’t mind.</p><p>•••</p><p>   Amanda happily greets them when they walk into the LaRusso’s house. She offers to make the boys something to eat, which they politely decline. They say a quick goodbye to the nice woman before rushing up the stairs to Sam’s room.</p><p>   Traffic had been awful, which caused Hawk and Demetri to be a bit later than they wanted. But with Amanda still being here, the boys don’t feel too guilty.</p><p>   The sound of music playing loudly makes the couple stop in the hallway. Hawk tries to figure out what song is playing, but the sound is muffled. </p><p>   Hawk lets Demetri crack Sam’s door open, feeling awkward doing it himself. He still finds himself getting uncomfortable around the girl who he now calls a friend, and it makes him feel awful. Still, they have a tough past and Hawk knows it will take awhile for them to get over it.</p><p>   The familiar sound of Moment’s Silence by Hozier makes Hawk come out of his thoughts. He glances past his boyfriend, who is standing just outside of the room. Hawk pushes Demetri softly, making the boy step further into the room. </p><p>   Once all the way in the room, Hawk takes in the scene before him. Sam is standing in front of one of her walls, the furniture that was once there pushed to the middle of the room. She seems to be deep in thought, the end of a paintbrush between her teeth. </p><p>   The wall, that was once white just like the others, is now a dark black. The color makes Hawk frown.</p><p>“Sam!” Demetri yells over the music, making the girl come out of her thoughts. She turns toward them, giving the two boys the opportunity to see what she’s wearing. </p><p>   Hawk has to fight back the urge to laugh. Sam is wearing a pair of baggy jeans, paint splashed all over them. She also has a black band tshirt on, which also has paint on it. Her hair is in a wild bun on top of her head, and she’s wearing a pair of glasses that both boys didn’t know she had. </p><p>   She doesn’t look like the popular girl she used to be, and she definitely doesn’t look like the strong fighter Hawk knows her as. </p><p>   This is a new side of Samantha LaRusso, a side that not a lot of people know. </p><p>“Oh, I was wondering when you guys would get here.” Sam says brightly, turning the music down. Her mood seems to be brighter now, and Hawk wonders if it has anything to do with the paintbrush in her hand. </p><p>“Sorry, we got stuck in traffic.” Demetri says, his eyes not leaving the now black wall. </p><p>   Sam wipes her hands off before coming over to them, a smile on her face. She grabs their hands before dragging them over to the wall. </p><p>“I want to do some stars… what do you think.” She hands them her iPad, which has a beautiful picture of a cluster of stars. </p><p>   Hawk nods, “It’s beautiful.” His words make the girl smile wider, “Really?” He nods again, giving her a smile of his own. </p><p>“Well, this is what I’m going to be working on for the next few hours… so make yourself comfortable.” She motions to her bed, which is right across from the wall. </p><p>   Hawk and Demetri step over things that had to be moved, making their way to the bed. They sit down, jumping when the music that was once loudly playing starts up again. </p><p>   Hawk smiles as he watches Sam, her back to them as she climbs onto her step stool. She is singing along with the song that is playing now, her voice barely audible over the loud music. </p><p>“She seems to be in a better mood.” Demetri says to Hawk. He has to speak close to his ear, the music making it impossible to talk normally.</p><p>   Hawk nods, a fond smile on his face as he watches Sam paint, “I’m glad… it seems she really needed this.” Demetri hums at that, his own smile on his handsome face. </p><p>   Hawk lays back against Sam’s pillows, leaning into Demetri. His boyfriend pulls him closer, laying his head on Hawk’s unstyled hair. The pair watch their friend happily paint, their eyes getting heavier and heavier by the second. By the time the song changes to a slower paced tune, the couple is asleep. </p><p>•••</p><p>   Hawk wakes up with a jolt, his body shaking. He sits up quickly, feeling Demetri do the same. He yelps when he sees Sam, jumping up and down on the bed.</p><p>“Wake up!!” She flops down in the middle of them, giggling as she does so. </p><p>   Hawk’s mouth is open in shock. He hasn’t seen Sam act like this since- well, he’s never seen Sam act like this. And from the expression on his face, neither has Demetri.</p><p>“What the-” Hawk says, but is cut off by Sam. She points excitedly to the wall, which both boys look over to.</p><p>   The once black wall is now covered in the bright dots that are no doubt supposed to be stars. The sight of Sam’s art makes Hawk smile, “Wow…” he stands from the bed, wanting to get a better look.</p><p>   He turns back to Sam with a grin, “It’s beautiful, Sam!” The compliment makes the girl smile wider, making her look like the girl she used to be.</p><p>“Thank you… I just-” her smile fades slightly, “I needed to get this idea out of my head. I needed to do something.”</p><p>   Suddenly, it’s like she’s back to the girl he’s come to know. Her body tenses up, and her smile disappears. Sam sits down on the bed, not looking at the two confused boys.</p><p>“What is it?” Hawk asks, bending down in front of Sam.</p><p>   Sam takes a shaky breath, “I’ve felt so overwhelmed today… I needed to paint something.” She trails off, playing with a loose string on her jeans, “My dad called our lawyer this morning.”</p><p>   Hawk and Demetri sigh, instantly understanding. They motion for the girl to continue, their eyes kind as they look at her. </p><p>“He said we have no proof of the a-attack… and that we don’t have a case.” Hawk feels his eyes widen, staring at the girl in disbelief.</p><p>   Well, shit...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you enjoyed the chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. You’re Weak</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It’s a week after the attack, and Hawk finds himself in a sticky situation.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>⚠️TW⚠️</p><p>Mentions blood and lots of fighting!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The week goes by quickly, which everyone is happy about. After finding out about the case — or lack of one — Demetri has been obsessing over gathering evidence. He has taken up a small space in Mr LaRusso’s office in the house, dedicated entirely to all the evidence he gathers. Sadly, it isn’t that full. </p><p>   So far they only have the word of Moon, and a few of the other guys at the party. They know this won’t hold up in court, but Demetri is trying to find more. He knows they can get proof. </p><p>   The “Sam Schedule” is working great, and everyone is happy with the outcome. The week was filled with Hawk, Demetri, Moon, Miguel, and Chris — who is starting to act like he used to with Sam — going in and out of the LaRusso household. Everyone has kept a strict routine, and it seems to be helping Sam.</p><p>   The week had gone by smoothly, which was a bit shocking. They didn’t have any run-ins with Kreese, or Cobra Kai. Even though they haven’t seen much of the other dojo, Hawk and the others are still on edge. They know they will have to talk to Kreese at some point, especially if they plan on taking this all to court.</p><p>   Sadly, everything takes a turn for the worst on Friday.</p><p>   Hawk knew the day was going to be hard when he woke up. He is supposed to go to Sam’s after school today, but since it’s a whole week after the attack the boy decides to call out of school. </p><p>   After a quick text to the group chat — telling them he won’t be at school today — Hawk is finally on his way to Sam’s. He decides to walk to Sam’s, which isn’t too far away from his own house. He knows it’s probably not the best idea, but he needs the time to himself to think. </p><p>   As he walks down the sidewalk, Hawk thinks about where he was last Friday. He was on his way to school, a happy Demetri next to him in the car. He was… he was content. His life was finally starting to come together. He had Demetri back, was friends with Miguel, and was away from the toxic teachings of Kreese. </p><p>   But he wasn’t trusted, and that affected him more than he thought. </p><p>   Thinking back, Hawk realizes how much happier he is now. He has the trust of the whole dojo, even Daniel LaRusso! But… that trust came with a price. Sam’s innocence.</p><p>   Hawk sighs, clenching his fists. He hates thinking about how miserable Sam must have felt just a week ago. He hates how he handled the situation. He should have been watching the girl, he should have noticed something was wrong.</p><p>   If Demetri was here, he’d tell Hawk to stop thinking about the past. To stop thinking about things he can’t change. Sadly, his big mouthed boyfriend isn’t there to tell him that. </p><p>“Well, well… what do we have here?” The sound of a familiar voice brings Hawk out of his thoughts. </p><p>   With a turn of his head, Hawk spots the owner of the voice. Tory, with all her goons, are standing only a couple feet away from him. He guesses they must be on their way to school.</p><p>“Finally, we’re able to get you alone. Those bodyguards of yours really take their job seriously…” Tory says, a sneer on her face as she steps closer.</p><p>   Hawk scoffs, “I don’t need bodyguards.” His words make the girl laugh, a mocking and cruel sound.</p><p>“Oh really? Because you’re just so tough and strong, right?” Hawk sneers at her mocking tone, having to fight back the urge to strike first.</p><p>   Mr LaRusso wouldn’t like that…</p><p>“That reminds me… how’s our little Princess doing?” Tory smirks at the enraged boy, looking him up and down.</p><p>“Don’t talk about Sam!” Hawk yells out, momentarily shocking the girl in front of him.</p><p>   Tory recovers quickly, giving him a smirk, “Why? Don’t tell me you care about that bitch...” Hawk lets out a warning growl, the sound making him look dangerous.</p><p>“Watch your mouth, little girl.” </p><p>   Tory only shrugs at his words, “That’s not why we’re here…” she steps closer to the unhinged boy, her eyes showing no fear.</p><p>“You almost killed one of our fighters… now, you have to pay.” Her words hold so much venom that it takes every ounce of self control in Hawk to not step back in fear.</p><p>“Kylar said he wasn’t an official member.” Hawk says, frowning in confusion.</p><p>   Tory smirks, “Ethan took Kylar’s place when he decided to snitch.” At her words, Hawk looks up. Sure enough, there’s no sign of the jock that made his life hell. </p><p>“Now then, enough talking… grab him!” Tory yells out, stepping back for the boys behind her to grab the boy.</p><p>   Hands start to grab at Hawk, making the boy struggle. He fights off as many as possible, throwing punches and kicks whenever he can.</p><p>   Sadly, there’s too many. He knows he can’t fight them all, but he sure as hell isn’t going down without a fight. </p><p>   Somehow the group of Cobra’s get the fighting boy into a dark alley, away from the street. Knowing what’s coming next, Hawk finds himself fighting back harder. He hears the satisfying crunch of someone’s nose, which he threw his head into. </p><p>   The satisfaction doesn’t last long, because someone hits him in the head. The boy groans, stumbling as he loses balance. Taking advantage of his weakness, the group push the hurt boy against the wall, watching him fall to the ground.</p><p>“Miyagi Do has made you weak…” Tory says, stalking up to Hawk’s now sitting form.</p><p>   The smirk on his old teammates lips makes the boy shiver. Not wanting to show how scared he is, Hawk gives her a smirk back.</p><p>“Show me what you got, bitch!” He says, blood running down his face.</p><p>   Tory only smirks wider before landing a hard kick into Hawk’s ribs. The boy lets out a groan, but instantly smirks back up at her. If he shows how much pain he’s in, he knows that will only make the beating worse.</p><p>   The girl lets out a growl before landing a few more kicks, all of them in the same spot. She motions for the others to join her, all of them cornering the boy into the wall. Instantly, there’s multiple sets of fists and feet coming down on his body, their attacks hard and painful. </p><p>   Hawk only lets a few painful groans leave his mouth, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of his screams. </p><p>   The beating lasts a few more minutes, the time going by painfully slow. Just when Hawk feels like he might break, the hitting stops and the group around him scatter. He doesn’t have the energy to look up to see what scared off his attackers, his body throbbing everywhere from all the pain. </p><p>   The feeling of someone grabbing him makes Hawk whimper, knowing in the back of his mind that it’s most likely Tory who has come back to finish him. When no punch comes, Hawk forces his eyes to open. The action takes so much energy out of him that he passes out not long after getting a glimpse of his savior.</p><p>   Kind brown eyes had looked at him, their color somewhat familiar. He had seen their mouth moving, talking to him, but he couldn’t place who this person was. He lets his body go limp, darkness pulling him under. </p><p>  Hopefully this mystery person will take care of him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. My Hero... Or Whatever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hawk wakes up in the hospital, confused and scared.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“-not sure!” </p><p>“Well, you should have called!” </p><p>   The sound of familiar voices talking loudly wakes Hawk up. He lets out a soft groan, the sound making the voices stop talking so loud. He cracks his eyes open, but instantly shuts them again when he’s met with bright lights. </p><p>   He hears someone apologize, shutting the lights off. Hawk cracks his eyes open again, this time letting his eyes move around the room. </p><p>   The sight of the painfully white hospital room makes Hawk frown. Why the hell is he at the hospital? </p><p>“You were attacked.” The sound of a voice makes Hawk look over, his eyes meeting Demetri’s worried ones.</p><p>   At the sight of his boyfriend, Hawk feels his body relax. He reaches a weak hand out for Demetri, which the boy takes. Hawk sighs when Demetri places a soft kiss to his hand, his eyes not leaving Demetri’s.</p><p>“Attacked?” Hawk says, jumping at how rough his voice sounds. </p><p>   Demetri nods, but another voice speaks up before he can. Right… there’s someone else in the room, too.</p><p>“Cobra Kai beat you up in that alley, remember?” Hawk looks over and smiles softly when he spots Miguel’s worried expression.</p><p>   At his best friend's words, Hawk finds himself thinking back to the attack he couldn’t remember. The memory of multiple punches and kicks meeting his body makes Hawk grab at his side, jumping at the stinging pain when he does so. </p><p>   As he starts to remember more and more, the boy's body starts to tense up. He remembers waking up that morning… which makes him think — how long has he been out? He also remembers the walk, and the argument with Tory. He remembers fighting, and finally being taken down by one of the cobras.</p><p>   He remembers brown eyes.</p><p>“Who… Who found me?” Hawk asks, his eyes not leaving his sheets. </p><p>“Mrs LaRusso.” At Miguel’s words, Hawk’s eyes shoot up to find his friend. He spots him at the end of his bed, his expression serious.</p><p>“She said she saw you walking down the sidewalk, and wanted to see why you weren’t in school. She ended up losing sight of you. She went out looking for you on foot, and found you being attacked in the alley.” Miguel explains, his eyes sad.</p><p>   Hawk frowns, “But if that’s true, then she would have had to scare off a group of hostile teenagers.” </p><p>   Miguel only shrugs, “You know how scary Sam can be when mad… I’m guessing she doesn’t get that from Sensei LaRusso.” </p><p>   Hawk gives a small chuckle, still trying to comprehend all the information. </p><p>   So, Amanda saved him? Hawk can’t wrap his head around being important enough to the woman for her to not only want to check on him, but save him from a bunch of crazy kids who know karate. </p><p>“Ah Eli, I’m glad you’re awake.” Hawk comes out of his thoughts, looking up to the door where he hears the voice. </p><p>   A man dressed nicely with a white doctor's jacket comes through the door. He sanitizes his hands before holding one out for Hawk to shake. Hawk looks at the offered hand for a split second before grabbing it and giving it a shake.</p><p>“I’m Doctor Rein.” He says, giving Hawk a kind smile. </p><p>“It seems you got yourself in a sticky situation the other day.” The man says, making Hawk frown.</p><p>“The other day? How long have I been out, sir?” Hawk asks, looking at the man in front of him.</p><p>   Mr Rein smiles, having guessed the boy would ask, “Just a day. It’s now Sunday night.” The doctor answers politely, rummaging through his papers in his hands.</p><p>“Well, I’m just here to go over your vitals. This shouldn’t take too long.” The man says, walking closer to Hawk now. </p><p>“Where’s Amanda now?” Hawk asks shyly, his attention now directed to his boyfriend and friend.</p><p>   Demetri smiles, “She’s in the waiting room, along with Daniel and Sam. Your mom was here earlier, but she had to leave for a work emergency.” </p><p>   The boy rolls his eyes. Of course his mom isn’t here. She never is.</p><p>“Do you want to see her?” Demetri asks, his eyes kind as he looks at his boyfriend.</p><p>“Amanda, I mean.” He adds quickly.</p><p>   Hawk nods, a small blush on his cheeks, “And Sam.” </p><p>   Demetri nods and stands, giving Hawk’s hand a small squeeze. He leans over and places a soft kiss to Hawk’s forehead, “I’ll be right back, I promise.” He says softly before leaving the room with Miguel, leaving Hawk alone with the doctor.</p><p>   The boy bites at his bottom lip, not sure what will come from this conversation. He knows he needs to thank the woman, especially since he barely knows her. But he still can’t understand why the woman would potentially risk her life for him. It’s crazy. </p><p>   Hawk can’t help but think about what would have happened if she didn’t show up. He would probably still be in that alleyway — his body in a lot worse of shape than it is now. </p><p>   The doctor says something about everything looking fine, and that he’ll be back in when it’s time to change his bandages, but Hawk is too occupied with his thoughts to really listen. He hears the soft click of the door closing, and lets out a sigh when he’s finally left alone. </p><p>   Suddenly — as he’s thinking back to the attack — Hawk feels rage shoot through him. How dare those bastards corner him! How sick do you have to be to stick up for a rapist?</p><p>   It’s now, as he’s thinking about how messed up his old teammates are, that Hawk realizes just how lucky he is. He’s no longer under the thumb of Kreese, and he no longer has to do things he doesn’t want to do. </p><p>   He finds himself thinking, again, what might have happened if he’d have stayed a Cobra. Would he have let that monster hurt Sam…? Would he have let the cobras potentially hurt Demetri?</p><p>   His jaw clenches. Hell no… there’s no way he would have let all that happen in front of him.</p><p>   … right?</p><p>“Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?” The sound of Amanda’s voice brings him out of his dangerous thoughts, his eyes shooting up to find her.</p><p>   The woman is standing in the doorway, her face bright with a smile. He finds himself smiling back, even giving a small motion with his head for the woman to come all the way in. When she does that, Hawk spots a tired looking Sam behind her. He gives his friend a small smile, one to show the girl that he’s fine. Sam smiles back, walking all the way into the room and sitting on the edge of his bed. </p><p>   Just when he’s about to say a quick thank you to Amanda, Hawk sees another person enter through the door. There, with a disapproving frown, stands his mother. His heart drops, and he feels the smile on his face do the same.</p><p>   Great.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Not Your Fault</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hawk’s mother is ranting, Sam is feeling guilty, and Daniel wants revenge.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-any idea how careless that was of you? You know better than that!” </p><p>   Hawk sighs, rubbing at his eyes. His mother has been lecturing him for a few minutes now — showing no sign of stopping. The LaRusso women are sitting awkwardly on his bed, giving him sympathetic looks.</p><p>“We didn’t know she was behind us.” Sam says quietly, catching Hawk’s attention. His mother continues her rant, not noticing the teens talking.</p><p>   Sam grabs his hand, giving it a small squeeze. Hawk gives the girl a smile, nodding his head.</p><p>“-called me, or your father! I mean-” his mother’s words are cut off by the door opening, a smiling Daniel LaRusso walking through it seconds later. </p><p>“Sorry to interrupt, but the doctor is wanting to talk to you.” Daniel says, his charming smile directed at Hawk’s mom.</p><p>   The woman sighs before walking out the door, mumbling to herself as she does so.</p><p>   Hawk smirks at Daniel, “Doctor wanted to speak to her?” His tone is amused.</p><p>   Daniel shrugs, a proud smirk on his lips, “Eh, thought you needed some help.” </p><p>   Hawk chuckles, shaking his head at his sensei. Thank god for Daniel LaRusso.</p><p>   A hand on his shoulder makes Hawk turn his attention away from Daniel. He looks over, his blue eyes meeting brown ones. </p><p>“How are you feeling?” Amanda asks, her tone motherly as she glances at his bandages.</p><p>“I’ll be fine. Thank you, Mrs LaRusso.” The woman grins at him, leaning forward and giving him a soft hug. He feels his body tense up, not used to touching anyone other than his friends.</p><p>   After a few short seconds, Hawk lets his arms wrap around the woman. He relaxes into the hug, letting the kind woman hold him.</p><p>   Amanda pulls away, giving him a soft smile. She moves to the chair next to his bed, taking a seat. Hawk notices her eyes are a little watery, and her hands seem to shake. He has to fight the urge to get out of bed and comfort the kind woman. </p><p>“You fought hard, kid.” Daniel’s voice sounds proud, something Hawk has never heard from anyone other than Demetri.</p><p>“Thank you, Sensei.” His response to the praise is monotone, more instinct than anything. He really has no idea how to respond to compliments. </p><p>   Sam’s hand — which is still clenched in his own — squeezes hard, getting his attention. His eyes move to his friend, who seems to be fighting back tears. It’s then that he realizes the dark circles under her eyes, and the way she seems to slouch more than usual.</p><p>   She’s tired, and Hawk wonders if it’s because she hasn’t left the hospital.</p><p>“Why weren’t you at school, Eli?” Her voice breaks, a sign that her tears will fall soon.</p><p>   Hawk sighs, “I called out. It had been a week since the attack and I wanted to make sure you were okay.” His words seem to break her, making the tears in her eyes fall.</p><p>“You were out… because of me?” He can see the guilt in her eyes, and can hear the self hatred in her voice.</p><p>   Hawk shakes his head, “No, No… it’s not your fault.” He moves to grab her face, wanting to wipe the tears from her cheeks.</p><p>“I chose to call out of school, I chose to walk to your house. This isn’t your fault!” He adds.</p><p>“He’s right, Sam.” Daniel’s voice gets both the teens attention. He’s leaning against the end of Hawk’s bed, his eyes on the two friends.</p><p>“This isn’t your fault… it's Kreese’s.” The man seems to spit out the other man’s name, his eyes full of hatred.</p><p>“I’m going out today to have… a little talk with him. Johnny and I are going to make sure that bastard, and his crazy kids, never mess with you guys again.” The older man’s hands tighten around the hospital bed frame, it cracking under the pressure.</p><p>   Hawk’s eyes widen, “Sensei-” he’s cut off by Daniel’s eyes shooting up to meet him. The man’s stare is intense, showing there will be no arguing with him. </p><p>“What did they say when they cornered you?” The man asks, making Hawk frown at the change of subject. What does this have to do with getting back at Kreese? Sighing, Hawk thinks back to the attack, trying to remember what was said. </p><p>“That reminds me… how’s our little Princess doing?” </p><p>“You almost killed one of our fighters… now, you have to pay.” </p><p>“Ethan took Kylar’s place when he decided to snitch.”</p><p>   Hawk takes a calming breath as he remembers the hissed words the girl cobra had said to him. He looks back up at Daniel, “They made that… that rapist an official member! They kicked Kylar out, and replaced him with Ethan.” </p><p>   Daniel smirks, the sight making Hawk frown again. The man seems to be planning something, and the boy can’t help but wonder what it is.</p><p>“Now that… that is good news.” Daniel mumbles, making the three other people in the room frown.</p><p>“Dad, what is it?” Sam asks, just as confused as Hawk.</p><p>   Daniel gives his daughter a smile, “Any chance you know where that Kylar kid lives?” He asks, a mischievous grin on his face. </p><p>   Hawk’s eyes widen, his own smirk taking over his face. He looks at Sam quickly before answering his sensei.</p><p>“I’ll send it to you right now.” He says, grabbing his phone from the table next to him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter is a bit... everywhere, but it will all make sense in the next chapter :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Deep Conversations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>⚠️TW⚠️</p><p>Sorry for no chapter yesterday... I had a pretty busy day haha. Hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The leather seats of Daniel’s new car creak under the weight of him and his passenger. The sound makes Daniel cringe, especially when his partner starts to move the seat to how he likes it.</p><p>“Really, Johnny?” Daniel asks, breaking the concentration of the man next to him.</p><p>   Johnny looks up at Daniel with a scowl, “I’m getting comfortable! It’s seven in the morning, and I’m tired.” The blond man goes back to fixing his seat, ignoring Daniel’s eyes on him.</p><p>   The other man only rolls his eyes and goes back to driving. They just left the hospital — having decided that going in the morning would be best instead of leaving at 11 at night. The address Hawk gave to him is in his phone, giving him directions. Johnny was the one who suggested they visit the Kylar kid first, just so they can get more information before barging into Kreeses dojo. </p><p>“Turn right, and your destination will be on your left.” </p><p>   Daniel frowns, looking around for any sign of the right place. He sees a lone house on the left side of the street, no other house close by. Daniel parks the car in the street before looking back at Johnny to see if he’s ready.</p><p>   The blond man had stopped messing with the seat at some point, his eyes now directed toward the house. Daniel sighs before getting out, motioning for Johnny to do the same.</p><p>   Once at the door, Daniel rings the doorbell and waits anxiously. He can feel the anger still coursing through him, and he’s worried he might hurt the kid. If the kid has anything to do with this, Daniel might not walk out of the house a free man. But he knew this when he got into the car this morning, so did Johnny. </p><p>   The door opens quickly, and Daniel spots a frightened looking Kylar. The boy looks older than he remembers, more mature.</p><p>“Can I help you?” Kylar asks, his eyes not meeting Daniel’s.</p><p>“Yes, I think you might be able to. Can we come in?” Daniel says, his tone emotionless.</p><p>   Kylar nods quickly, not wanting to offend the well-trained karate sensei’s. He moves to the side, letting both men into his house. He leads them to his living room, letting them sit down.</p><p>“Cobra Kai have kicked you out, haven’t they?” Daniel asks suddenly, shocking the boy in front of him.</p><p>   Kylar only nods, which gives Daniel the chance to speak again.</p><p>“We were told you got kicked out because you snitched. Well, we have come to ask you a few more questions about the other night… at the party.” Daniel is surprised at how calm he sounds. He’s trying to think of this visit as a business meeting, and it seems to be working.</p><p>   Kylar looks around nervously, “I-I don’t really know much, Sir.” Daniel eyes him for a moment, not sure how he feels about this totally different side of the boy.</p><p>   What did training at Cobra Kai do to him?</p><p>“I think you’re lying to us.” Johnny says suddenly, his words coming out like venom.</p><p>“We’re taking this to court…” the blond starts, making Kylar look over at him with wide eyes, “And if you don’t talk, we’ll tell the police we think you’re an accomplice.” Johnny adds, a smirk on his face.</p><p>   Daniel is suddenly reminded of why he brought Johnny along. The man is good with his threats, something Daniel knows first hand. </p><p>   Kylar shifts in his seat, “Really, I don’t know much…” he looks down at his lap, not liking the way the other men are looking at him. </p><p>“All I know is that Tory and Ethan were talking about getting back at Hawk. They brought up multiple ideas with us, but we all decided that cornering Hawk was not a good idea. The kid is just too good of a fighter.” Kylar’s words stream out, and Daniel is trying to keep up. He can see the kids face scrunch up at the thought of Hawk, and Daniel guesses Kylar still doesn’t like him much.</p><p>“Once we decided fighting Hawk was a bad idea, we went to other people. At first, I suggested that tall nerd of his… but that was shot down as well. Hawk doesn’t let that kid out of his sight.” Kylar seems to squirm as he pauses, his eyes moving up to Daniel’s.</p><p>“That’s when Tory decided on Sam. She had said something about sending Ethan since he was new, and no one would recognize him.”</p><p>   Daniel sighs, his anger is getting the best of him, “So, you all just let two of your teammates come up with a plan to rape my daughter?” The man’s words are hissed, and he can see how Kylar backs into the couch.</p><p>“W-What?” Kylar stutters out, his eyes wide.</p><p>“Rape? What are you talking about?” Kylar rushes out.</p><p>“We’re talking about how your buddy tried to rape Samantha LaRusso!” Johnny yells out, his face turning red. He keeps a firm hold on Daniel, making sure the man doesn’t strike the boy.</p><p>“I-I never… Sir, they never said anything about that! I didn’t know!” Daniel is about to yell at the boy again, but stops when he sees the way his body is shaking. </p><p>   The kid isn’t lying… there’s no sign of cocky attitude, or fake remorse. Only confusion.</p><p>   With one look at Johnny, Daniel can tell his partner has come up with the same conclusion. The man watches as Johnny stands with a scoff, shaking his head.</p><p>“The bastard went rogue.” He says, making Kylar frown.</p><p>“Who?” He asks, his eyes now on the blond man.</p><p>“Ethan. I’d say that girl doesn’t even know.” Johnny says, turning back to look at Daniel.</p><p>“You think he just… acted on his own?” Daniel asks, giving the man a skeptical look.</p><p>“We’ll have to talk to Kreese and that girl, but yeah… I think so.” Johnny answers.</p><p>   Daniel frowns, shocked at how fast Johnny figured it out. How did Johnny Lawrence figure it out before him?</p><p>“What does this mean for me?” Kylar asks suddenly, bringing Daniel out of his thoughts.</p><p>   Daniel looks over at Kylar, sighing when he sees the fear still in his eyes, “You need to speak with the police. This will be good for Sam… it means we’re one step closer to getting that monster behind bars.” Kylar seems to take in the man’s words, giving him a nod.</p><p>“I’ll talk to them.” He says, giving Daniel a small nod.</p><p>“Thank you for telling us the truth.” Daniel gives the boy a small smile before turning and walking to the door, the sound of Johnny’s footsteps behind him. </p><p>•••</p><p>   Now with a hopeful smile on his face, Daniel makes his way down the highway. The soft sound of the radio is playing in the background, and he can no longer hear the creaking of the leather seats in the car. Johnny sits next to him, quietly looking out the window. They haven’t discussed the information they just received, but they are both happy now that they know someone else is on their side.</p><p>   Kylar gave them a lot of information, and Daniel feels confident they will get Ethan behind bars. But their talk with Kylar also caused Daniel to feel a war with himself. All this time he has guessed Kreese was involved, but Kylar didn’t even mention his former sensei. Is there a chance that the older man really had no idea what was being planned in his dojo? </p><p>   Then there’s the idea of Ethan acting alone. It just seems too perfect. Or maybe Johnny’s right… maybe the kid just went rogue. How were Kreese and the other kids supposed to know they were about to make a monster an official member of their dojo? </p><p>   Daniel sighs and pulls the car into a familiar shopping center. He parks the car in front of the dojo and looks over at Johnny.</p><p>“You ready?” He asks, getting the man’s attention.</p><p>   Johnny nods, “Yeah.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Deal With The Devil</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Johnny and Daniel pay Kreese a little visit, and are shocked to find out that the man was expecting them.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoy the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The door to the Cobra Kai Karate Dojo creaks when Daniel opens it, making him cringe. He had told Johnny he wanted to be as stealthy as possible with this — not wanting Kreese or any of the other students to see them and run off.</p><p>   After a quick glance around the front room of the dojo, Daniel quickly realizes that no one is there. He sees Johnny motion to the office before leading the way, Daniel hesitantly following. </p><p>   Kreese sits quietly in his office chair, a cloud of smoke surrounding him. He doesn’t look up when they arrive, which makes Daniel scowl. </p><p>“I knew you would show up eventually…” Kreese says, finally looking up from his notebook on his desk.</p><p>   Daniel glares at the older man, “Then you know why we’re here. You know what happened to my daughter.” His voice sounds foreign to his ears. He’s shocked at how murderous his tone is.</p><p>   Kreese shrugs before standing, giving the two men infront of him a smirk, “Maybe, maybe not.” </p><p>   Daniel opens his mouth to talk, but is cut off by Johnny, “Tell us what you know.” </p><p>“I know you both have had a rough week. Having two of your best students hurt is no doubt going to ruin your chances at winning the tournament.” Kreese puts his cigar back in his mouth, staring at the two younger men.</p><p>   Daniel lets out a strangled growl, “I don’t care about that stupid tournament, Old Man! The only thing I care about is getting your new student behind bars!” Kreese raises a curious brow at Daniel, moving out from behind his desk.</p><p>“Ah, you mean Ethan?” Kreese asks, crossing his arms as he smirks.</p><p>“Ethan is at the hospital. That Hawk kid really messed him up… you know, I wouldn’t mind having that kid back. He’s a good fighter.” Kreese looks off, a thoughtful expression on his face.</p><p>   Johnny’s body tenses up next to Daniel, “You won’t touch that kid, you hear me? He has enough shit going on!” Kreese only rolls his eyes before giving the men a fake grin.</p><p>“Aw, how about a good old fashioned trade? In exchange for Hawk, I will give you information about my new student.” He pauses for a moment, stepping closer to the men, “Come on, boys… we got a deal?” His words are soft, and Daniel can hear the manipulation behind them.</p><p>   As Daniel looks at the man in front of him, he finds himself actually considering the deal. Exchange Hawk for information about Sam’s attacker? To others it might be an easy no, an easy dismissal. But to Daniel? He can’t just pass up the opportunity of a trial for Sam. Kreese’s information could change the whole case. </p><p>   But then Daniel remembers the way Hawk’s face lit up when he saw Amanda and Sam after he woke up, and the way the boy had smiled at him after his mother left. He remembers their talk on the stairs — how he had felt so much lighter after talking to the boy. </p><p>   Daniel mentally scolds himself for even thinking about actually accepting the deal from Kreese. How could he ever give up one of Sam’s closest friends to a monster like Kreese? Plus, the old man could be lying… he might not know anything. Then Daniel would be giving up Hawk for nothing.</p><p>   The sad thing is, Daniel knows the young boy would do it. He would give himself up to Kreese — the man who turned him into something he’s not — if he knew what the man was offering. </p><p>   That thought is what makes Daniel scoff at the man in front of him, and give a slight shake of his head. He opens his mouth to say something — probably along the lines of, ‘Hell no, you crazy bastard.’ — but is cut off by Johnny again.</p><p>“Okay.” </p><p>   Daniel’s eyes widen, his head shooting in the direction of his partner. He gives the blond man a shocked look, his eyes probably showing the betrayal and hurt he feels go through him. </p><p>“You can have the kid, but you have to promise to give us all the information you know! That means going to the police and everything.” Johnny says, which Kreese only gives a pleased chuckle and a nod as a reply.</p><p>   Daniel watches as Johnny holds a hand out for Kreese, which the man takes instantly. They shake, their eyes showing the meaning behind it.</p><p>   It’s official, Johnny just handed Hawk back to the king cobra. </p><p>“Hawk gets out of the hospital tonight, so meet us at Miyagi Do tomorrow at noon.” Johnny says, giving the man one last look before leading Daniel out of the dojo quickly.</p><p>   Once outside and in the car, Daniel gives Johnny a glare. He tries to say something, anything, but can’t.</p><p>“Would you stop looking at me like that?” Johnny asks, not meeting Daniel’s glare. He starts Daniel’s car, which he’s driving due to Daniel being so out of it. </p><p>“You just gave that kid back to that monster.” Daniel states, finally able to find his voice.</p><p>   Johnny looks over and gives Daniel a smirk, “Come on, LaRusso… give me a little credit!” His words make the other man frown, giving the blond a confused look.</p><p>“You really thought I would make a deal with Kreese?” Johnny asks, an amused smirk on his face.</p><p>   Daniel’s glare fades as he looks at his once nemesis, “You were lying.”</p><p>“Yes, I was lying!” Johnny shakes his head as he pulls out of the shopping center.</p><p>“But you shook on it. You made a promise.”</p><p>“Promises can be broken, Daniel.” Johnny pauses for a second before turning to glance at Daniel, “What can I say? Once a snake, always a snake.” The man smirks at his shocked friend, turning the radio up as high as it will go. </p><p>   As Whitesnake plays in the background, Daniel looks out the window. He lets himself feel relief at knowing Johnny isn’t actually giving Hawk back to Kreese, but he’s soon back to worrying again. </p><p>   Kreese is going to be at his dojo tomorrow, with the intention of taking one of his students. He feels panic settle in his stomach as he thinks about how everything could go wrong. </p><p>   At least they’ll get information out of the visit, right?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What does everyone think about these past two chapter being in Daniel’s POV? Also, do you think Kreese actually knows anything? </p><p>Let’s discuss in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Home At Last</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Yell if you need me, okay?” </p><p>   Hawk looks up from his spot on his bed, his eyes finding his mother’s. He gives her a small smile, nodding. The woman walks out of the room, leaving Hawk to his thoughts.</p><p>   The hospital had let him go home a day after he first woke up in his assigned room. They had wanted to keep him over night just to make sure the medication they gave him was working. Thankfully the painkillers kicked in, proving to the doctors they gave Hawk the right dosage.</p><p>   The medication had done its work, dulling the pain enough for Hawk to get some much needed rest. Sadly, that also meant Hawk missed the return of Daniel and Johnny. He had woken up hours after they returned, the details of their visits with Kyler and Kreese having already been told to the others.</p><p>  Hawk had looked around the room, his confused state not picking up on the tense atmosphere of the room. Daniel was standing next to Amanda, who was still sitting in the chair next to Hawk’s bed. The man had a comforting hand on his wife’s shoulder. Johnny was standing near the end of the bed, an arm around a frowning Miguel. They both had the same worried expression on their faces.</p><p>   Demetri and Sam were both sitting on the edge of Hawk’s bed, their expressions matching the others in the room. Hawk remembers thinking why everyone looked like someone died — he even remembers saying something aloud about it. </p><p>   The others in the room told him nothing of the events that happened with Kyler and Kreese, which Hawk wasn’t too mad about. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep some more. </p><p>   But now, the pain medicine out of his system, Hawk wonders what could have happened that caused everyone to look so depressed. He contemplates calling Demetri, or even Daniel himself, to get answers, but dismisses that thought quickly once he sees how late it is. </p><p>   Sighing, Hawk pulls his covers over his body. He feels the exhaustion coming back to him, making his eyelids feel heavy. But before he can fall into darkness, Hawk hears his phone go off. </p><p>   Grabbing it quickly, Hawk reads the message he just received.</p><p>“I’ll be at your house early tomorrow. Be ready.” </p><p>   Demetri’s vague message only makes Hawk’s worries from earlier come back. The boy shakes his head, deciding that this is just Demetri’s way of trying to get him to watch Doctor Who all day.</p><p>   With that, Hawk sends back a quick response before turning his phone off and rolling back over. He lets sleep take over, drowning out all the worried thoughts.</p><p>•••</p><p>   The sound of the doorbell being rung multiple times wakes Hawk up. He lets out a groan and stretches, instantly regretting that when his ribs give a slight crack. The pain makes the boy gasp, shooting a hand over to where he feels the most pain. </p><p>   The doorbell rings again, making Hawk give a quiet growl before standing. His muscles ache as he stands, wanting the boy to lay back down and rest. </p><p>“I’m coming!” Hawk yells out, slowly making his way to the front door. His hand is still grasping his exposed torso, the pain slowly going away. He hopes he didn’t rebreak his ribs.</p><p>   Hawk swings the door open, a tired scowl on his face. When he sees the serious expression on Demetri’s face, his scowl is soon replaced with a look of confusion.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Hawk asks, motioning for his boyfriend to come in.</p><p>   Demetri sighs as he makes his way to the couch, Hawk following him. They both take a seat, their eyes looking at each other wearily.</p><p>“Daniel and Johnny were able to get more information from Kyler, who is thankfully going to go to the police.” Demetri says suddenly, his eyes meeting Hawk’s.</p><p>“Kyler told them that he didn’t know about Ethan’s plan to… to rape Sam. And from how Daniel worded it, they seem to have some suspicions about Tory not knowing either.” </p><p>   Hawk frowns, “This is all good news. Why do you look so upset?” </p><p>   Demetri shakes his head, “It’s Kreese.” Hawk’s body goes tense at the mention of his former sensei.</p><p>“What about him?” Hawk asks hesitantly, watching as Demetri bites at his bottom lip.</p><p>“Him and Johnny made a deal yesterday. Basically, Kreese wants to exchange information, but only if he gets you in return.” His boyfriend’s words make Hawk curl into himself, his arms wrapping around his body.</p><p>   Sensei Lawrence gave him up? </p><p>   The feeling of Demetri’s soft hands on his arms makes Hawk come back, his eyes shooting up to find Demetri’s. The boy is looking at him with worry in his brown eyes. </p><p>“It’s not like that, Eli. Listen to me…” Demetri grabs Hawk’s face, moving it to where the boy has to look at him.</p><p>“Johnny isn’t really going to let Kreese take you. Daniel wouldn’t let that happen, anyways.” </p><p>   Hawk feels his body relax, his boyfriend’s words making sense. Daniel wouldn’t let that happen… Sam wouldn’t let that happen, and Demetri definitely wouldn’t let it happen. </p><p>   He’s safe… he’s okay. </p><p>   Taking a deep breath, Hawk nods. He lets his heartbeat calm down before talking.</p><p>“Okay, how… how do we know Kreese even knows anything?” Hawk asks, his arms still wrapped around his body as he looks up at Demetri.</p><p>   The taller of the two frowns, “We don’t… that’s why we’re all a little worried. If this somehow goes wrong, Kreese could ruin our chances at getting Ethan in jail.”</p><p>   Hawk nods, taking in all the information, “Okay.”</p><p>“Okay?” </p><p>“Yeah, I’ll play along. Just… don’t let him talk me into going back there.” Demetri smiles before pulling his boyfriend closer to him, “I would never let that happen.” </p><p>“Now, go get ready. This Kreese stuff is happening today, and Sensei LaRusso wants us at the dojo by 11:30.” Demetri ushers Hawk up the stairs, telling him to hurry.</p><p>   Hawk groans, throwing on a few random pieces of clothing. When he’s done, Demetri is at the front door waiting on him. They make their way outside, and Hawk is shocked at the sight of Sam’s car in his driveway.</p><p>“You didn’t tell me Sam was here!” Hawk says, giving his boyfriend a glare. Demetri only shrugs, giving Hawk a smirk before rushing to Sam’s car.</p><p>   The girl smiles at Hawk when he gets in, saying a happy greeting. The boy smiles back, but freezes when he sees Miguel in the front seat. </p><p>“All of you came?” Hawk says, buckling his seatbelt. He can’t believe Sam and Miguel both came to support him in this… meeting from hell. </p><p>   Sam laughs as she pulls out of the driveway, “Of course!” She starts driving down the road, instantly turning the radio up. </p><p>   The sound of one of Sam’s favorite songs blast through the car, the girl singing along loudly. Hawk smiles at the sight, reaching over to grab Demetri’s hand. </p><p>   Hawk hums along with the song, letting himself forget about Kreese. </p><p>   He might be dreading this meeting, but at least he gets to enjoy this time he has with his friends.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Kind of a slow chapter, but the next one will be... THE MEETING!! Next chapter will be... very interesting haha. Hope you enjoyed!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Tricking the Trickster</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a disclaimer, of sorts. I know nothing about law or anything to do with cases and court, so just keep that in mind while reading :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hawk wipes his sweaty hands on his jeans, eyeing the dojo in front of him nervously. He feels someone take his hand, pulling him in the direction of the entrance of Miyagi-Do. </p><p>“It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Demetri’s words make Hawk’s body relax. At least he has his boyfriend there with him. </p><p>   From the look of it, Kreese hasn’t arrived yet. The only other cars in the driveway were Johnny and Daniel’s. </p><p>“There you guys are!” Daniel says as soon as they walk through the door, his usual calm expression replaced by a worried one. </p><p>“Sorry, there was traffic.” Sam says, giving her dad a quick hug before pulling back.</p><p>   That was a lie; there was no traffic. The truth was, Hawk had made them late by not wanting to get out of the car. It took a lot of half-hearted threats from Sam, and a few pushes and pulls from Miguel and Demetri, to finally get the boy out of the car. Now, as he stares at a nervous Daniel LaRusso, Hawk regrets doing so. </p><p>   Daniel opens his mouth, no doubt to get onto his daughter for being late, but is interrupted by Johnny, “You can lecture your kid later, LaRusso! Right now we have to prepare for Kreese.” The man’s words make Hawk frown.</p><p>“Do you not have a plan?” Hawk asks loudly, looking at his sensei in disbelief.</p><p>   Johnny and Daniel share a look before Daniel speaks up, “of course we have a plan!” The man looks away, not able to look at the teens.</p><p>   Someone to Hawk’s right scoffs, “Yeah? And what’s that?” It’s Miguel, his eyes slits as he looks at the older men.</p><p>   Before anyone can say anything else, the sound of a car pulling in gets everyone’s attention. Knowing who it is, the teens huddle up behind their Sensei’s.</p><p>“Everyone stay calm, and let us do the talking.” Daniel says, putting on a calm face as he stares at the door.</p><p>   There’s no knock, only the slow opening of the door. Kreese walks in, a few of his best fighters behind him. Hawk spots Tory and Robby instantly, his body tensing at the sight of them. </p><p>   No one mentioned Kreese was bringing people with him.</p><p>“Ah, I see you held up to your side of the deal…” Kreese says, his eyes watching Hawk. </p><p>   Daniel stands up straighter, “And have you?” </p><p>   The King Cobra only smirks, taking a few more steps closer. His students follow, all of them keeping an eye on the Miyagi-Do — and ex Cobra — students.</p><p>   Tory, who seems to have her eye on Sam, smirks. Hawk finds himself glaring at the girl, and moving closer to his new friend. He feels Sam push herself into his back, having a hard time looking at Tory. </p><p>“That depends… do I get your best fighter now, or later?” Kreese says slowly, looking as if he wants to just grab Hawk and leave. </p><p>   Daniel and Johnny step back, guarding a glaring Hawk from the older Sensei. Johnny chuckles, “You give us the information, then you can have the kid.” </p><p>“Oh, but how do I know you’ll keep your word?” Kreese asks, his tone amused as he now turns his attention to his former student.</p><p>“Same could be said for you.” Johnny replies, a small smirk on his lips.</p><p>“Trust me, he will.” </p><p>   The sound of a familiar voice coming from the door makes everyone turn their attention to it. There, standing with her arms crossed, is Amanda LaRusso. She holds up a folder, showing it to everyone before stepping into the room. </p><p>“This folder here…” her eyes are now directed towards Kreese, “Is a signed document from a judge — saying we have enough information for a case — which was given to me from the nice police officers just outside that door.” She motions to the door that she just came in from, two officers visible from where everyone is standing.</p><p>“This document goes into detail about all the things that have gone on in your dojo, and about the attacks on Sam and Hawk. Kyler provided enough evidence, along with the evidence we already had, to not only put Ethan in jail but you as well.” Amanda gives the shocked old man in front of her a smirk, “So, if you don’t tell us everything you know… those officers out there are going to arrest you, and you will be held accountable for not only all the physical attacks on these children, but the abuse my daughter had to endure.” Amanda finishes, a satisfied smirk on her face. </p><p>   Everyone in the room is silent, shocked at the news. Hawk can’t help the frown that takes over his face. What happened to not having enough evidence for a case? With one glance at his Sensei’s, Hawk realizes they didn’t know about any of this either. </p><p>   Amanda must have just found out, due to Kyler just recently telling the police everything he knows. Kyler was the tip in the scale — him being another witness of sorts must have convinced the police there was something going on. Hawk feels gratitude for his former bully, shocking him. He never thought he would feel anything but anger towards the guy.</p><p>“I didn’t have anything to do with your daughter’s attack.” Kreese says suddenly, bringing Hawk out of his thoughts. The man no longer has a smirk on his face, and there’s no hint of mockery in his voice.</p><p>   Amanda shrugs, “Tell that to the police.” She gives the man a final smile before motioning for the officers to come in. Kreese seems to deflate, the fight in his eyes leaving him. He lets the officers take him away, letting them question him on what he knows. </p><p>   As Kreese is led outside for questioning, his students are left in the middle of the room. Tory and Robby seem to be more tense than the others, their dodgy background making it to where they feel on edge around the police. </p><p>“What was that about?” Robby asks suddenly, his eyes going to his father’s. For once, the boy doesn’t glare at Johnny, only looks at him for answers. </p><p>   Johnny sighs, “Long story, but I think you kids should head on home.” He gives his son a small smile, which the boy ignores. Robby nods his head, leaving with the other Cobra’s.</p><p>   Tory seems to give them all a confused look, not sure what’s going on. No one stops her when she turns to leave, which confuses Hawk.</p><p>“Shouldn’t Tory be questioned, too?” He asks Daniel, who turns to look at him. The man gives him a smile, “No… I don’t think she would know anything, anyways.” </p><p>   Hawk nods, watching as the girl leaves the dojo. He can’t help but feel weary of her. How could he not? The girl organized an attack against him. </p><p>   His thoughts are interrupted by Sam’s voice, which sounds the happiest he’s ever heard it.</p><p>“There’s going to be a case?” She asks, looking at her mom with joy in her eyes. </p><p>   Amanda nods, “Yeah. I got the news an hour ago, but I thought it would be best if we used this meeting as an opportunity to get Kreese to talk.” She leans forward and gives her daughter a hug.</p><p>“I knew I married you for a reason.” Daniel says playfully. Amanda rolls her eyes, keeping her arms wrapped around Sam. </p><p>   Everyone laughs, watching as the married couple bicker. They only stop for a moment, to pull everyone in for a group hug. Normally, Hawk would shy away from so much touching — the years of bullying making it hard for him to not flinch when someone unfamiliar so much as touches his shoulder — but he lets his new found family pull him into the hug, sharing in their happiness. He even feels Johnny join, which makes his grin widen.</p><p>   Sam is finally getting her case, Kyler is no longer being an asshole, and Kreese will most likely have to pay for all the pain he’s caused. </p><p>   After a day like today, what could go wrong?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Again, I know nothing about Law... so I’m sorry if I got anything wrong. I hope you liked the chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. No More Ethan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What do you think?” </p><p>   Hawk looks up from his spot on Sam’s bed, raising his head off his boyfriend’s lap to look over at Sam. She’s standing next to a canvas, a bright smile on her face as she shows off her latest painting. </p><p>   After finding out they had a case, everyone has noticed the difference in Sam. She has been painting more, and her smiles seem to be genuine. The girl has even started sleeping through the night without waking up due to nightmares. </p><p>   Even though Sam’s mental state has seemed to improve, the group of teens have still stuck to the schedule they made. That’s why Hawk, Demetri, Miguel, and Moon are all in Sam’s room. </p><p>   Hawk smiles at Sam as he takes in the painting. The canvas is a beautiful light blue, a few little details on it as well. </p><p>“It’s not done yet, but I’m hoping it will be by the end of the week.” Sam adds, her eyes now back on her work.</p><p>“By the end of the week? That’s a long time, Princess.” Hawk says, his head back in Demetri’s lap as he looks over at the painting.</p><p>“I know, but this painting is going to have a lot of details in it. Plus, it’s special.” Hawk chuckles at Sam’s words.</p><p>“Well, I think it’s beautiful.” He says, the others in the room making sounds of agreement. </p><p>   Sam places her paintbrush down before wiping her hands off, taking her time to get all the paint off. When she’s done, Sam jumps onto her bed.</p><p>“The first day of court is tomorrow…” She says after a few moments of silence, catching everyone’s attention.</p><p>“I think it’s supposed to be all about Ethan tomorrow, then the next day will be a short meeting about what they want to do about Kreese.” She explains, not meeting her friends eyes. </p><p>“Are we still not allowed in?” Moon asks softly, taking Sam’s hand in her own. </p><p>   Sam shakes her head, making everyone let out frustrated sighs. They all want to be in that courtroom with Sam, but due to it being such a personal case they aren’t letting anyone other than family in. </p><p>“We’ll be right outside waiting for you.” Demetri says suddenly, leaning over and placing his hand on Sam’s free one. The girl smiles at her friends, nodding her head.</p><p>“I’m worried he won’t be charged.” Sam says quietly, her eyes casted down.</p><p>   Hawk scoffs, “If they let that monster walk free, I’m pretty sure your dad would never let the valley live it down.” His words make a small smile cross Sam’s face, her eyes bright again.</p><p>“He’d turn him into a tree.” She jokes, making everyone chuckle. </p><p>“Everything will be fine, Princess.” Hawk says, their laughter dying down. Sam looks up at him, her eyes still bright but they hold uncertainty.</p><p>“How can you be so sure?” </p><p>   The boy smirks at Sam, “When has The Hawk ever led you astray?” His words make everyone groan playfully.</p><p>•••</p><p>   Hawk stands next to basically the whole dojo, everyone dressed nicely. They are outside the courtroom, waiting to hear something back from anyone about what will happen to Ethan. </p><p>   They had all met up with The LaRusso’s early this morning, showing their support for their friend. Sam — who had looked somewhat pale — had smiled and thanked them for coming, but was soon swept away by her parents and lawyer. </p><p>   Not long after Sam made her way into the courtroom, Ethan was brought in. Everyone stood a little taller, watching as the boy was taken by. His head was down, and his parents were on either side of him. Hawk could see the way he limped when he walked, and the bruises scattering his face, which made him smirk. </p><p>“Surprised he’s even walking.” Demetri whispers in Hawk’s ear, which makes the boy smirk wider. </p><p>   Now, two hours after they had started, the students of Miyagi-Do are leaning against the wall in front of the courtroom doors. Their legs are getting tired, and they can all tell Hawk is getting a little irritated. </p><p>“This is stupid, they should have let us in!” Hawk says loudly, his boyfriend shushing him after. </p><p>“We’re not family, Hawk.” Miguel says, his tone bored as he has had to say this multiple times over the last hour to his friend. </p><p>“Close enough…” Hawk mutters, his arms crossed as he pouts.</p><p>   The courtroom doors open loudly, interrupting Hawk’s pouting. The group of teens stand up straight, watching as everyone leaves the courtroom. Sam and her parents come out last, their expressions not telling the group anything about what happened.</p><p>“Well?” Demetri asks once Sam and her parents get to them.</p><p>   Sam smiles at them, “it was a fairly short proceeding. They had too much evidence against Ethan to not put him away. He’s now going to be in jail for 10 years, maybe more depending on how he does in there.” </p><p>   At Sam’s words, the whole group pulls each other in for a group hug. They let out yelps of happiness and relief, no doubt getting glares from the other people in the hallway. </p><p>   They all pull away not long after, still congratulating Sam. After they quiet down, Daniel gets their attention.</p><p>“As you all must know, Kreese is having his case meeting tomorrow. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but just remember we’re all in this together.” He gives them all a smile, looking like the sensei they’re all used to. </p><p>“Also, Kreese’s case probably won’t go as smoothly as this one. Just remember that.” His smile turns to one of sympathy. </p><p>“How about a celebratory dinner?” Amanda interrupts, breaking the sad tension. Everyone agrees, happily following their sensei and his wife. </p><p>   Hawk wraps an arm around Sam’s shoulders, leading her in the direction they’re friends went. Hawk mutters a soft, “I told you so.” Making the girl next to him smile brightly. </p><p>   The two friends talk quietly to each other, not looking back at the courtroom doors. If they had, they would have seen the two familiar figures leaning against a wall, hidden from view. The girl had a small smile on her face, her eyes watching as the two friends disappeared from view. The boy next to her has a similar smile, but his eyes show his curiosity towards the two friends.</p><p>“How’d it go?” A deep voice asks from behind the girl, making her jump. </p><p>“Kyler… you scared me.” Tory holds a hand against her chest, trying to calm down. </p><p>   The boy in front of her smiles, “Sorry, T.” </p><p>   Robby chuckles at the glare Tory gives Kyler, shaking his head.</p><p>   Tory shrugs, “Ethan got put away, guess he really did do what you said he did.” Her words make Kyler smile, and nod his head.</p><p>“You should have told us sooner, man.” Robby’s words only make Kyler shrug. </p><p>“Well, come on… Kreese is probably wondering where you two are.” Kyler turns on his heel, leading Tory and Robby out of the hallway. They go in the opposite direction as Hawk and Sam, something the two Cobra’s are glad about.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Opportunity For Change</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don’t know anything about law, so I apologize if I get anything wrong!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Every seat at John Kreese’s case meeting is full. Sam didn’t expect to see so many people, and was shocked when she walked through the courtroom doors. </p><p>   At first, Sam had considered not going to Kreese’s trial. Her body and mind are tired from her own trial yesterday. But, she knew her friends needed her… especially Hawk. She knows how hard the cruel man was on Hawk, and what he changed him into… so, there’s no way she was going to miss seeing the man be put away for good. </p><p>   As she sits on one of the uncomfortable benches in the courtroom, Sam finds herself looking down the long line of people next to her. Her whole dojo is sitting on one singular bench, dressed the same way they were the day before. Hawk is sitting next to her, his face paler than usual. </p><p>“It’s going to be fine.” She whispers to him, making him jump. The boy gives her a small smile before grabbing her hand, Demetri’s in his other. </p><p>   Before Sam can mutter anything else to her friend, the trial is starting. Kreese is brought out, his eyes not looking up from the floor. The man sits down in the front, his lawyer next to them.</p><p>“John Kreese, do you know why you’re here?” The judge starts, his intimidating stare on Kreese.</p><p>   The old man nods, “I do, your honor.” </p><p>“Then you know all the accusations against you…” the man trails off, picking up a piece of paper.</p><p>“It says here that you are being accused of multiple attempted murders, assaults of many degrees, and fraud.” The judge places the paper down, looking up at Kreese behind his glasses.</p><p>“And how do you plead?” </p><p>   Kreese and his lawyer mutter to each other for a few seconds before the old man looks back up at the judge, “Not Guilty, your honor.” </p><p>   Gasps are heard around the room, and Sam is pretty sure she hears Johnny’s knuckles pop from across the room. Hawk’s body goes tense, and he looks over to Daniel — who is sitting on the other side of Sam — and gives the man a worried look. Daniel only gives the boy a smile, silently telling him it’ll all be fine. </p><p>“You see, your honor, these accusations are all false.” Kreese’s lawyer starts, standing from his chair. He looks a lot younger than Kreese, probably even younger than Daniel. </p><p>“These false accusations are coming from a group of people who are fiercely committed to winning at The All Valley. I’d say Daniel LaRusso would do anything to win again, even if it means dragging an innocent citizen down.” The lawyer looks over at Daniel, pointing him out to everyone. The judges eyes turn to Daniel’s, no emotion behind them.</p><p>“I need proof of your client’s innocence.” The judge says, his voice monotone as he looks back over to the standing man. </p><p>“Yes… well, if you would please direct your attention to the tv.” The man grabs a remote off the table, clicking the tv on.</p><p>“This first video is security camera footage from The Cobra Kai Karate Dojo.” The man presses play, letting the video play out.</p><p>   Having known what actually happened in the video, Sam knows it’s heavily edited. The video only shows the parts of the incident where her father or Johnny were hitting Kreese, very few of Kreese fighting back in it. </p><p>“This is one of the first incidents… here’s the latest.” The lawyer clicks the remote again, the video switching.</p><p>   Just like the other video, this one is heavily edited as well. Sam sighs, shaking her head. There’s no way the judge will believe this. </p><p>“As you can see, my client never started any of the brawls. He was only protecting himself and his work place.” The lawyer shuts the tv off, turning back to the judge.</p><p>“And the other incidents? Do you have video footage of those as well?” The judge asks, looking over all his papers.</p><p>   The lawyer sighs, “Sadly we do not… my client has only recently put the security cameras in.” </p><p>   The judge nods, “Well, since you don’t have any proof of your innocence for those claims, i am going to have to believe the solid proof we received from others.” He trails off, looking back at Kreese.</p><p>“John Kreese, you hereby sentenced to life without parole.” The judge, his tone sounding bored, stands from his seat and walks out. </p><p>   Before anyone can let the feeling of relief go through them, the sound of Kreese’s angry screams breaks the silence in the courtroom. Officers from both corners take down the once powerful King Cobra, handcuffing him before removing him from the room. </p><p>   The Miyagi-Do students all look at each other, shocked with how the trial went. They can’t believe they were able to get not only Ethan, but Kreese behind bars. </p><p>   Sam throws her arms around Hawk and Demetri, both of them doing the same to her. She lets tears of relief fall down her face, and by the way Hawk’s body is shaking, she can tell he’s doing the same. </p><p>“Oh, Thank God…” Demetri mumbles into her group hug, holding both Hawk and Sam close to him. </p><p>   Pulling away, Sam quickly wipes Hawk’s tears away, “No more tears… let’s enjoy being free.” She says, having to talk loudly due to everyone talking happily about how the case went. </p><p>   Hawk nods, a smile on his handsome face. He pulls away fully, looking over to see where the rest of their dojo is. </p><p>   Miguel is wrapped up in a hug from Chris and Bert, happy tears falling down his face. The rest of the dojo is talking happily together, their relief shining in their eyes. </p><p>   Everyone is brought back to reality when Johnny all but throws himself into Daniel and Amanda’s arms, his relief at finally being free of Kreese making his body shake. The two Sensei’s, and one kind woman, hold each other. The students of Miyagi-Do walk off together, giving the adults their space.</p><p>   As they all walk together to the courtroom doors, they’re met by an odd sight. There, standing together, are Cobra Kai. They’re presence makes the other group of students tense, watching the Cobra’s carefully.</p><p>“We didn’t come here to fight.” Robby says from his spot in the front, Tory next to him. </p><p>“We only wanted to see what would happen to Kreese.” Tory says, her eyes searching the group in front of her for the only girl. </p><p>   When Tory’s eyes finally catch Sam’s, the girl surprises the other by offering a small smile. Sam gives her a confused smile back, not sure what to do. </p><p>“What are you going to do now?” Miguel asks suddenly, getting The Cobra’s attention.</p><p>   Robby shrugs, looking at his group, “Probably just practice on our own… can’t keep going to Cobra Kai now.” </p><p>“You’ll always have a home at Miyagi-Do…” Sam says, finally finding her voice. She directs her eyes across the group, “All of you.” </p><p>   The snakes only nod, some giving smiles, before moving out of the other dojo’s way. The Miyagi-Do students walk past the group, thankful that they have put their rivalry behind them. </p><p>“Diaz!” </p><p>   Miguel turns around quickly, the others doing the same. Robby stands at the doors again, a playful smile on his face. </p><p>“See you at The All Valley.” The boy gives Miguel a playful wink before walking back into the courtroom, no doubt going to find his dad. </p><p>   Miguel chuckles, giving his teammates a shocked look before turning back around and walking down the hallway.</p><p>   Turns out, without Kreese, the students at Cobra Kai aren’t that bad. Maybe they’ve always been like that, but Sam was just too blind to see it.</p><p>   Or maybe they have all just gone through so much now… and it’s become tiring having to fight people constantly. </p><p>   Sam knows people can change, so maybe the snakes deserve a second chance. </p><p>“Well, that was weird.” Miguel mutters once he’s in Sam’s car, sitting in the passenger's seat. Hawk and Demetri make sounds of agreement from their spot in the back. </p><p>   Sam shrugs, “I don’t know… maybe we can all move on now.” She gives the three boys a hopeful smile before pulling out of the parking lot.</p><p>   As Sam goes down the highway, the sound of her friends bickering filling the car, she can’t help but think how she might be right. Maybe they can all move on, and finally be free like real teenagers. </p><p>   She can only hope.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Do you guys think Kreese deserves what he got?</p><p>Also, the next chapter will sadly be the last... Pls look at the notes on it when I post next. </p><p>Thank you all for the kind words and support. </p><p>&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Happily Ever After</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A month after Sam’s attack, Hawk finds himself at another party at Moon’s. Thankfully, this one is nowhere near as big as the other one. Moon’s big house seems even bigger now, now that there’s only a handful of people in it. </p><p>   Hawk looks around the room, smiling when he sees Tory and Robby happily talking with Chris. Things have changed in the last few weeks, the once dangerous rivalry between two dojo’s included. </p><p>   Sam had been right, the snakes deserved a second chance… just like himself. That’s why Sam had talked Moon into inviting the two leading Cobra’s to her party, which had ended up being a lot harder than any of them anticipated. For someone who preaches peace and love, Moon had the tendency to hold a grudge when it came to her friends. </p><p>   Thankfully, Moon had agreed in the end. Now — with music playing softly in the background — the two snakes are happily mingling with the Miyagi-Do students. </p><p>   The sound of Demetri’s voice brings Hawk out of his thoughts, making him shoot a worried glance in his boyfriend’s direction. Hawk spots him instantly, his tall frame bent over in laughter at something Miguel had said. The boy smiles at the sight, loving how carefree his boyfriend has become. That’s another thing that’s changed — Demetri’s social life. Hawk knew Demetri had branched out when he had left him, but now… now he’s seeing a side to the tall boy he’s never seen before. </p><p>   Hawk guesses they all have changed, in many ways. This whole experience has changed everything.</p><p>“Why are you standing over here alone when you could be out there talking to friends?” Sam’s voice makes Hawk jump, breaking out of his thoughts once again. </p><p>   The boy looks to his left, sighing when he sees Sam’s brown eyes looking at him. He gives her a small shrug, “Just thinking.” </p><p>“About?” Sam asks, taking a sip of her drink. Hawk eyes the red cup, wondering what it is.</p><p>   Sam gives him a smile, “It’s just soda.” She says, having seen his expression.</p><p>   Hawk sighs again, looking back at their friends, “Do you ever think about what our lives would be like if… if Ethan never came into it?” His question makes the girl frown, looking down at the contents in her cup. </p><p>“I do…” She pauses for a second, looking back up at him, “I would still be out partying, Cobra Kai would still be a thorn in our sides, and… and I would still hate you.” At her final words, Hawk looks down at the ground.</p><p>“That night will always be the worst night of my life… but it brought us together. All of us.” She motions her free hand towards the people in front of them, oblivious of the serious conversation going on.</p><p>   Hawk looks back at Sam, his eyes glossy, “You’re one of the strongest people I know, Samantha LaRusso.” He knows he’ll regret saying such cliche words later on tonight, but he had to say it. </p><p>“You flatter me, Eli.” Sam gives him a cheeky grin, one that makes him laugh loudly.</p><p>“Anytime, Princess.” He mutters back with a smile, shaking his head at his friend.</p><p>   As their laughter dies down, Hawk looks back over at Sam. He catches her looking at someone, a glossy look in her eyes and a blush on her cheeks. Curious, Hawk looks over in that direction. What he sees makes him frown.</p><p>   Miguel is showing Demetri something on his phone, both of them laughing. </p><p>“So… you and Miguel?” Hawk’s voice breaks, uncomfortable with the question.</p><p>   Sam looks up at him, her eyes wide. She scoffs, “Yeah, right.”</p><p>   Hawk raises a brow at Sam, which makes the girl’s face drop. She blushes and smiles, “Yeah… since last week.” </p><p>   The boy nods, “As long as you’re happy and he treats you good, it’s okay with me.” Sam rolls her eyes at his words, but smiles when she sees Hawk give Miguel a glare from across the room.</p><p>“You don’t have to worry… he treats me like a Princess.” Her words make the protective look disappear from Hawk’s face, a chuckle escaping his lips. </p><p>“Good… I’d hate to have to put him back in the hospital.” He smirks as he looks down at Sam.</p><p>   The girl gasps, swatting at Hawk playfully, “That’s just mean!” She says, fighting back a laugh. </p><p>“Guys, come over here!” Moon calls out, motioning for Hawk and Sam to make their way over to the group that’s now sitting around the living room.</p><p>   Hawk gives Sam one last look before walking over to the group, the girl following him. He takes a seat at Demetri’s feet, his head resting against the boy's knee.</p><p>   Moon smiles at them all, a cup in her hand, “I just wanted to make a toast…” she pauses to raise her cup in the air, “To Sam, for being the badass she is.” Everyone lifts their cups, shouting, “To Sam!” As loudly as they can.</p><p>   Sam raises her cup after they’ve settled, “To new friendships.” Her eyes go to not only Hawk, but Tory and Robby as well. </p><p>   As they all cheer, Hawk finds himself thinking back to his conversation with Sam only moments ago. He’s never been one for fate, or destiny, but something led him to this moment… to these people. The thought of life without these people kills him now, which is odd because Hawk’s never been one to become so attached to people… other than Demetri, or course. </p><p>   The night goes on after that, Hawk finally joining the group after a while. He let himself feel free, drinking and laughing with his friends. </p><p>   Moon ended up letting them stay the night, not wanting anyone driving home drunk. They all set up a little fort in the living room, even though there are plenty of rooms upstairs for them all. </p><p>   With pillows and blankets surrounding them, the friends fall asleep. They let the sounds of each other’s breathing lull them into darkness, excited for what the next day — and years — will bring them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is sadly the last chapter... but don’t fret, I am currently working on a different story. I just want to thank you all for joining me on this journey, and supporting me (and my story) along the way. </p><p>I know this chapter is short (and it might not be the ending you all wanted) but I love how happy it ends. I think they all deserve a happy ending... just like everyone! </p><p>I love you all, and I hope you enjoyed the story!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you made it this far, thank you! Please leave a kudos or a comment. I would love to see what everyone thinks!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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